A survey by global company Ipsos suggests New Zealanders are still on the fence about a Covid-19 vaccine - with 51 percent of respondents saying they are likely to get the jab.
Photo: AFP
The market research firm has released its latest results from a series of questionnaires about the pandemic, having canvassed 1000 people over the age of 18.
Of those surveyed, 18 percent said they were unlikely to get a jab, and 24 percent were unsure.
Of those who were still uncertain, 38 percent said the vaccines were moving through clinical trials too quickly, while 27 percent had concerns about he potential side effects.
However, Ipsos reported 59 percent of the respondents supported making the vaccine mandatory for adults over the age of 18.
Ipsos New Zealand public affairs research director Amanda Dudding said just having the vaccine available for all New Zealanders was not going to be enough - the government would need to reassure people that it was safe and effective.
"While half of the population say they are likely to get vaccinated when it's available to them, the other half are going to need some persuasion," she said.
"Globally we've seen that as the rollout begins, there tends to be an increase in intention to get vaccinated, so it will be interesting to see if New Zealand follows this pattern."
Meanwhile, 83 percent of respondents believed the government was doing a good job to contain the spread of the virus and deal with recovery.
And 75 percent felt that the country's borders should remain closed, not letting anyone in or out until the virus is proven to be contained.
Of respondents, 66 percent thought the country's borders were being managed well, and 61 percent thought the managed isolation facilities were.
The survey had a 3.5 percent estimated margin of error.
It was carried out between 10 and 15 February.