On 12 May 2021, PWDA launched a survey of our membership regarding their thoughts and experiences of the COVID-19 vaccine and its rollout. The survey ran until 31 May 2021 and had 74 respondents. These results have informed our organisational statements on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Below you will find verbatim from the surveys. These have been selected to highlight common and key issues raised by our membership. We have also included graphs displaying results from our multiple-choice questions.
Importantly, results revealed 67.6% of respondents are finding it difficult or confusing to figure out which rollout phase they’re eligible for. Clearly this is a significant barrier to receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, also a likely contributor to hesitancy. Results also showed that 89.2% of respondents felt that the Australian Government could be doing a better job with the overall rollout.
One of the most disturbing results was that only 30.6%, less than one in three respondents, felt that their doctors were well-informed about the COVID-19 vaccine. The lack of reliable information regarding potential complications creates another barrier to people with disability and is another strong indicator for vaccination hesitancy amongst people with disability.
Survey results also revealed a majority of respondents felt it was important for themselves, support workers and those they live with to be vaccinated while a high 43.1% of participants expressed concern and felt that they wouldn’t be able to return to pre-COVID life until the majority of people in their state had been vaccinated.
For a full summary of the results, see below.
