Table 3.
Odds Ratio Estimates for Perception of COVID-19 Severity and Likelihood of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine
| Odds ratio (95% confidence interval)* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variables | Model 1: Agree that COVID-19 is more contagious than flu† |
Model 2: Agree that COVID-19 is more deadly than flu† |
Model 3: Agree that all should take COVID-19 precautions† |
Model 4: Would get a COVID-19 vaccine if available‡ |
Model 5: Would get a COVID-19 vaccine if available‡ |
| Primary sources of COVID-19 information | |||||
| Traditional news sources§ | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Guidance from governmental officials | 0.83 (0.59 to 1.16) | 0.85 (0.61 to 1.19) | 1.70 (0.74 to 3.92) | 0.90 (0.71 to 1.14) | 0.91 (0.72 to 1.15) |
| Social media | 0.22 (0.14 to 0.36) | 0.19 (0.11 to 0.32) | 0.16 (0.07 to 0.37) | 0.40 (0.25 to 0.65) | 0.52 (0.33 to 0.81) |
| Other webpages/Internet | 0.41 (0.30 to 0.56) | 0.40 (0.29 to 0.55) | 0.33 (0.19 to 0.57) | 0.69 (0.53 to 0.88) | 0.78 (0.60 to 1.00) |
| Friends or family members | 0.46 (0.34 to 0.63) | 0.39 (0.30 to 0.52) | 0.42 (0.24 to 0.73) | 0.75 (0.59 to 0.95) | 0.84 (0.66 to 1.07) |
| Health care providers | 0.71 (0.57 to 0.88) | 0.66 (0.53 to 0.83) | 1.24 (0.73 to 2.11) | 0.68 (0.58 to 0.80) | 0.70 (0.60 to 0.82) |
| Perception of COVID-19 severity | |||||
| Agree that COVID-19 is more contagious than flu | - | - | - | - | 1.39 (1.14 to 1.71) |
| Agree that COVID-19 is more deadly than flu | - | - | - | - | 1.71 (1.39 to 2.10) |
| Agree that all should take COVID-19 precautions | - | - | - | - | 1.59 (1.05 to 2.40) |
| Age | |||||
| <65 years | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| 65–74 years | 1.33 (1.02 to 1.72) | 1.25 (0.96 to 1.62) | 1.70 (0.96 to 3.01) | 1.36 (1.12 to 1.64) | 1.33 (1.10 to 1.61) |
| 75+ years | 1.37 (1.05 to 1.79) | 1.34 (1.02 to 1.76) | 1.75 (0.99 to 3.07) | 1.59 (1.31 to 1.93) | 1.54 (1.27 to 1.88) |
| Female | 1.35 (1.12 to 1.63) | 1.07 (0.89 to 1.30) | 1.49 (0.99 to 2.24) | 0.56 (0.48 to 0.64) | 0.54 (0.46 to 0.62) |
| Race/ethnicity | |||||
| Non-Hispanic white | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Hispanic | 3.88 (2.09 to 7.22) | 4.84 (2.47 to 9.46) | 2.55 (0.71 to 9.18) | 0.45 (0.36 to 0.57) | 0.40 (0.31 to 0.50) |
| Non-Hispanic black | 2.29 (1.41 to 3.70) | 1.94 (1.00 to 3.76) | 4.56 (1.67 to 12.46) | 0.72 (0.53 to 0.99) | 0.67 (0.49 to 0.92) |
| Other | 1.39 (0.91 to 2.13) | 1.51 (0.98 to 2.32) | 1.96 (0.70 to 5.49) | 0.95 (0.70 to 1.28) | 0.90 (0.66 to 1.23) |
| Income | |||||
| $25,000 or more | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Less than $25,000 | 0.82 (0.65 to 1.03) | 1.08 (0.85 to 1.36) | 0.80 (0.47 to 1.37) | 0.64 (0.54 to 0.75) | 0.64 (0.54 to 0.75) |
| Residence of rural areas | 0.70 (0.57 to 0.86) | 0.67 (0.55 to 0.82) | 1.23 (0.74 to 2.06) | 0.82 (0.70 to 0.96) | 0.85 (0.73 to 1.00) |
| US census regions | |||||
| Northeast | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Midwest | 0.70 (0.53 to 0.93) | 0.65 (0.49 to 0.86) | 1.03 (0.56 to 1.88) | 1.03 (0.84 to 1.25) | 1.07 (0.87 to 1.31) |
| South | 0.62 (0.48 to 0.81) | 0.59 (0.45 to 0.77) | 0.69 (0.40 to 1.19) | 0.91 (0.76 to 1.10) | 0.96 (0.80 to 1.16) |
| West | 0.78 (0.57 to 1.06) | 0.72 (0.52 to 0.98) | 0.62 (0.34 to 1.15) | 1.11 (0.91 to 1.37) | 1.15 (0.93 to 1.42) |
| Insurance | |||||
| Medicaid | 1.18 (0.86 to 1.63) | 1.14 (0.81 to 1.60) | 1.61 (0.77 to 3.40) | 1.36 (1.09 to 1.70) | 1.35 (1.08 to 1.69) |
| Medicare Advantage | 1.05 (0.88 to 1.26) | 1.07 (0.89 to 1.29) | 1.51 (1.02 to 2.23) | 0.95 (0.84 to 1.08) | 0.94 (0.83 to 1.07) |
| Use of other language at home other than English | 0.97 (0.60 to 1.58) | 1.27 (0.71 to 2.28) | 0.84 (0.34 to 2.10) | 0.81 (0.61 to 1.07) | 0.80 (0.60 to 1.06) |
| Having a particular place for medical care | 1.02 (0.75 to 1.40) | 0.91 (0.68 to 1.24) | 0.70 (0.35 to 1.40) | 0.87 (0.70 to 1.08) | 0.87 (0.70 to 1.09) |
| Self-reported health conditions | |||||
| Hypertension | 1.30 (1.08 to 1.57) | 1.29 (1.07 to 1.54) | 1.56 (1.06 to 2.31) | 1.02 (0.88 to 1.17) | 0.98 (0.85 to 1.13) |
| Myocardial infarction | 1.03 (0.76 to 1.40) | 0.88 (0.65 to 1.19) | 0.81 (0.47 to 1.40) | 0.94 (0.75 to 1.17) | 0.95 (0.76 to 1.18) |
| Congestive heart failure | 1.02 (0.71 to 1.45) | 1.46 (1.02 to 2.09) | 2.79 (1.13 to 6.85) | 0.90 (0.70 to 1.17) | 0.87 (0.67 to 1.13) |
| Stroke | 0.89 (0.66 to 1.21) | 0.88 (0.64 to 1.22) | 0.86 (0.48 to 1.57) | 1.03 (0.82 to 1.28) | 1.04 (0.83 to 1.31) |
| High cholesterol | 0.98 (0.81 to 1.19) | 1.08 (0.90 to 1.31) | 0.74 (0.48 to 1.14) | 1.10 (0.95 to 1.26) | 1.10 (0.96 to 1.27) |
| Cancer | 1.03 (0.83 to 1.28) | 1.15 (0.93 to 1.42) | 0.78 (0.50 to 1.22) | 0.99 (0.85 to 1.16) | 0.98 (0.84 to 1.15) |
| Alzheimer’s disease/dementia | 0.87 (0.47 to 1.61) | 1.24 (0.64 to 2.38) | 0.54 (0.17 to 1.70) | 1.36 (0.82 to 2.24) | 1.37 (0.84 to 2.23) |
| Depression | 1.08 (0.87 to 1.34) | 1.09 (0.88 to 1.34) | 1.90 (1.12 to 3.22) | 1.14 (0.99 to 1.33) | 1.13 (0.97 to 1.31) |
| Osteoporosis | 1.12 (0.87 to 1.45) | 1.20 (0.94 to 1.53) | 1.19 (0.68 to 2.08) | 0.99 (0.84 to 1.17) | 0.98 (0.83 to 1.15) |
| Broken hip | 1.09 (0.69 to 1.74) | 1.58 (0.93 to 2.67) | 1.05 (0.41 to 2.67) | 0.91 (0.64 to 1.31) | 0.89 (0.61 to 1.29) |
| Emphysema/asthma/COPD | 0.86 (0.68 to 1.09) | 0.98 (0.77 to 1.23) | 0.61 (0.38 to 0.97) | 0.91 (0.77 to 1.07) | 0.92 (0.78 to 1.09) |
| Diabetes | 0.92 (0.76 to 1.11) | 0.90 (0.74 to 1.10) | 0.98 (0.66 to 1.47) | 0.85 (0.74 to 0.98) | 0.86 (0.75 to 0.99) |
| Weak immune system | 0.93 (0.74 to 1.19) | 0.86 (0.69 to 1.08) | 0.97 (0.58 to 1.63) | 1.09 (0.92 to 1.29) | 1.10 (0.93 to 1.31) |
| Smoking status | |||||
| Current smoker | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Former smoker | 1.25 (0.95 to 1.65) | 1.24 (0.93 to 1.64) | 2.20 (1.28 to 3.79) | 1.30 (1.05 to 1.61) | 1.26 (1.02 to 1.57) |
| Never smoked | 1.16 (0.88 to 1.54) | 1.27 (0.95 to 1.70) | 2.21 (1.27 to 3.85) | 1.35 (1.08 to 1.69) | 1.31 (1.05 to 1.64) |
| Interview date | |||||
| Week of October 4, 2020 | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref | Ref |
| Week of October 11, 2020 | 0.81 (0.61 to 1.07) | 0.92 (0.70 to 1.21) | 0.90 (0.50 to 1.61) | 0.98 (0.81 to 1.19) | 0.99 (0.82 to 1.20) |
| Week of October 18, 2020 | 0.80 (0.60 to 1.08) | 0.90 (0.67 to 1.21) | 1.43 (0.70 to 2.91) | 1.07 (0.87 to 1.31) | 1.08 (0.88 to 1.33) |
| Week of October 25, 2020 | 0.69 (0.51 to 0.94) | 0.81 (0.60 to 1.09) | 1.16 (0.59 to 2.26) | 1.00 (0.81 to 1.24) | 1.03 (0.83 to 1.28) |
| Week of November 1, 2020 | 0.70 (0.50 to 0.99) | 0.75 (0.53 to 1.05) | 0.73 (0.38 to 1.38) | 0.97 (0.77 to 1.22) | 1.01 (0.80 to 1.27) |
| November 8 to 15, 2020 | 0.67 (0.46 to 0.98) | 0.93 (0.63 to 1.37) | 0.95 (0.45 to 1.99) | 0.86 (0.65 to 1.13) | 0.87 (0.66 to 1.16) |
Abbreviations: COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
*We accounted for complex sample design with sampling weights provided by the MCBS to generate nationally representative estimates
†Beneficiaries were asked to rate the following statements using a 5-point scale: “Coronavirus is more contagious than the flu,” “Coronavirus is more deadly than the flu,” and “it is important for everyone to take precautions to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, even if they are not in a high-risk group.” We categorized responses as agreed (strongly agree or agree) or not (neither agree nor disagree, disagree, or strongly disagree)
‡Beneficiaries were asked to rate their answers on a 5-point scale, which we categorized into two levels: yes (definitely or probably) or no (not sure, probably not, or definitely not)
§Includes television, radio, websites, and/or newspapers
Boldface indicates statistical significance