Coronavirus vaccine hesitancy has halved among black Britons following No10’s PR blitz to quash fears, data revealed today.
Ministers launched a media campaign to address hesitancy in BAME communities back in February, after experts raised concerns about low uptake in ethnic minorities.
The Department of Health worked with more than 50 ethnic minority TV channels and radio stations that broadcast in 13 different languages to tackle anti-vaxx misinformation.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) data released today suggested the PR campaign already appears to be working, even in the face of EU nations stoking fears about the tiny risk that AstraZeneca’s jab may cause blood clots.
Survey data of 17,200 adults in Great Britain show self-reported jab hesitancy dropped in all ethnic groups.
But the effect was particularly dramatic in black or black British adults, with the rate dropping from 44 to 22 per cent from February 17 to March 14.
Black adults still remain the most hesitant to get vaccinated — but the figures offer hope that uptake rates can be bolstered. The roll-out must go smoothly for ministers to feel confident enough to remove lockdown restrictions over the coming months.
It comes after Sir Lenny Henry and other black celebrities, including actress Thandie Newton and YouTube star KSI, this week wrote an open letter to urge ethnic minority people to come forward and get vaccinated.
Covid vaccine hesitancy halved among black Britons from February to March, Office for National Statistics (ONS) data released today shows
The ONS’s report today showed that hesitancy dropped by a third in all adults in Great Britain, from nine per cent to six per cent.
It defined hesitancy as adults who have refused a jab or said they would be unlikely to get one when offered, as well as those who responded ‘neither likely nor unlikely’, ‘don’t know’ or ‘prefer not to say’ when asked.
Hesitancy rates fell from 18 to 11 per cent among Chinese and other ethnic groups, from 8 to 5 per cent among white people, and from 17 to 12 per cent in mixed race people.
The smallest decrease was seen in Asian people, where hesitancy only fell from 16 to 13 per cent.
Some 94 per cent of all adults reported positive sentiment towards the vaccine, up from 78 per cent when the roll-out kicked off in December.
Statisticians praised the change in attitudes seen across racial groups but warned hesitancy remains an issue.
Tim Vizard, public policy analyst for the ONS, said: ‘Over the past few months, we have seen attitudes across most of the population becoming more positive towards Covid-19 vaccination.
‘However, there is still hesitancy among some groups, including young people, Black or Black British and those living in the most deprived areas.’
It comes after Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng this week said Britain ‘has made great strides’ in boosting uptake among black people.
But a separate ONS report on Monday showed more work has to be done, with four times as many elderly black Britons yet to have a vaccine as elderly white people.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng on Tuesday blamed ‘misinformation’ and ‘people sharing things online’ for higher jab hesitancy rates in some communities. Sir Lenny Henry has written an open letter urging all black people to get the Covid jab
A report published yesterday by the Office for National Statistics on Monday found just 58.89 per cent of black African Brits over the age of 70 had received at least one dose of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca ‘s vaccine by March 11
The ONS calculated that black Brits were up to seven times less likely to get the jab than their white peers
The report also found that Muslims were the religious group least likely to take the vaccine, with only 72.3 per cent of over-70s getting one so far, followed by Buddhists (78.1 per cent)
The Government began its PR blitz to address hesitancy in minority ethnic groups on February 13 — the day after the most recent ONS data begins at.
It launched its Covid vaccine uptake plan on that date, outlining plans to reach minority ethnic groups on broadcast and social media in a policy paper.
Ministers are working with more than 50 ethnic minority TV channels and radio stations that broadcast in 13 different languages to tackle anti-vaxx misinformation.
More than 90 faith, healthcare provider networks, influencers and experts from a range of communities have been recruited to hold Q&As to address people’s concerns about the Covid vaccine.
Officials are also working with the BBC World Service to produce videos on key questions from South Asian groups in Urdu, Punjabi, Tamil, Gujarati, and Sylheti.
In the same week, BAME groups launched an advert campaign urging minorities to take up the offer of the vaccine.
An advert featuring Adil Ray, Moeen Ali, Denise Lewis, Romesh Ranganathan, Meera Syal was aired simultaneously on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky TV channels on February 18.
And this Tuesday, film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton, author Malorie Blackman and radio DJ Trevor Nelson were among the signatories of an open letter by Sir Lenny Henry urging black Britons to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
In the letter Sir Lenny acknowledges the ‘legitimate worries and concerns’ that people feel, adding: ‘We know change needs to happen and that it’s hard to trust some institutions and authorities.’
He continued: ‘But we’re asking you to trust the facts about the vaccine from our own professors, doctors, scientists involved in the vaccine’s development, GPs, not just in the UK but across the world including the Caribbean and Africa.
‘Many of whom are our relatives, many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the people of this country from this pandemic.’