The government\'s efforts to end the Covid-19 pandemic, both through the introduction of vaccines and vaccination programs, are starting to see positive results.
By
BESTIAN NAINGGOLAN
·6 minutes read
KOMPAS/ADITYA DIVERANTA
Covid-19 vaccine injection for health workers at the Puskesmas Palmerah II Village, West Jakarta, DKI Jakarta, Friday (15/1/2021).
The government\'s efforts to end the Covid-19 pandemic, both through the introduction of vaccines and vaccination programs, are starting to see positive results. Although there are still doubts, even rejections in some circles, most people have expressed their enthusiasm about the vaccination program. Evidently, the majority of people are willing to get injected with the Covid-19 vaccine.
This was confirmed by the results of a community survey taken by 2,000 respondents in 34 provinces that was conducted face-to-face from 27 Dec. 2020 to 9 Jan. 2021.
No less than three-quarters of the respondents (76 percent) interviewed said they were willing to be vaccinated after taking into account various things. On the opposite end, a quarter of the respondents rejected the vaccine (Graph 1).
The community\'s willingness to get vaccinated is quite high. With such a large proportion, the 181.5 million people targeted by the government to receive the vaccine is, theoretically, not impossible to achieve. Public acceptance is an important consideration that affects the success of the vaccination program, in addition to aspects related to vaccine availability and distribution. Furthermore, as long as the high public acceptance of the vaccines and vaccinations can be maintained, the targeted herd immunity can be realized. The road toward the end of the pandemic is widely open.
Acceptance
However, unfortunately, the proportion of public acceptance in this survey is relative. There are still various vulnerabilities that allow the opposite condition to occur, because, as shown in previous Kompas’ surveys, the acceptance or rejection of the vaccination is not built on the basis of the medical benefits of the vaccines.
Behind their medical benefits, vaccine products and Covid-19 vaccination policies tend to transform into other dimensions, such as economic, social and political aspects. It is not uncommon that such dimensions become more prominent in determining the success or failure of the targeted condition.
Medical officers take a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Puskesmas Palmerah II Village, West Jakarta, Friday (15/1/2021).
The description of the involvement of various economic, social, and political dimensions is evident in the current pattern of attitudes in society.
The survey results show that so far the high willingness of citizens to get the vaccine is inseparable from efforts to control various economic, political and social dimensions of the vaccination.
If it relies on the limited medical benefits of vaccines and vaccinations, for example, there would be not enough public acceptances that could be obtained. Only 26.8 percent of respondents based their readiness to take the vaccine due to the benefits of Covid-19 vaccination.
In fact, the largest proportion (49.2 percent) based their willingness to get the vaccine on economic, political and socio-religious calculations.
From various influencing dimensions, economic considerations are the largest. Generally, people object if they have to pay the vaccine.
Even though some circles are willing to pay, they hope the government will ease the economic burden with a price subsidy policy. Only 2 percent of respondents were classified as financially capable to pay for the vaccine.
That is why when President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, announced on 15 Dec. 2020 that the vaccine would be free of charge it was like a breath of fresh air for the people.
This policy has proven to change the attitudes of 15.4 percent of respondents who had previously been reluctant to be vaccinated. With the government’s decision to provide a vaccine for free, the people\'s willingness to take the vaccine significantly increases. It is recorded that 53.4 percent are willing to get the vaccine.
In addition to the economic consideration, the increase or decrease in interest in the vaccination is also influenced by the socio-religious dimension. Vaccine production, although considered as a creation of the latest medical technology with a guaranteed high degree of efficacy, does not necessarily guarantee the people’s acceptance it. At the level of consumers, the survey results indicate that doubts emerge because the people doubt whether or not the vaccines are halal (permissible under Islamic law).
Regarding this condition, the issuance of the halal vaccine certification by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), some time ago, was relatively effective in reducing potential rejection of Covid-19 vaccination. According to the results of this survey, it was recorded that 8.6 percent of respondents who previously refused to be vaccinated are now ready to get the vaccine with halal guarantees. In line with such a religious approach, the configuration of the public\'s acceptance to get the vaccine also increased. At present, the people’s acceptance has reached 62 percent.
All survey details show that the willingness of three-quarters of the population to be vaccinated is mostly built on an economic, socio-religious and political basis.
Apart from economic and socio-religious factors, the high proportion of the people\'s willingness to be vaccinated is influenced by various political considerations. In fact, in this country vaccines and vaccinations are inseparable from attributions or political symbols. In this survey, the presence of President Jokowi as the first person to be vaccinated against Covid-19, for example, attracted up to 7.1 percent of respondents who previously rejected the vaccine.
Likewise, the debates about the countries that produce the vaccines also often raise political sentiment. The use of vaccines produced by China, the United States, or countries in the West European region, can also become a factor that has the potential to hinder people\'s willingness to take the vaccine. However, the potential for the presence of domestically produced vaccines can be a synthesis in the image of nationalism. Reflecting on the survey results, the presence of such a political side is able to play a role in raising the willingness of 5.9 percent of respondents to be vaccinated.
All survey details show that the willingness of three-quarters of the population to be vaccinated is mostly built on an economic, socio-religious and political basis.
All survey details show that the willingness of three-quarters of the population to be vaccinated is mostly built on an economic, socio-religious and political basis. Only a part of those who based their willingness to get the vaccine on the medical benefits of the vaccination.
It means that the government’s efforts to reduce the resistance cannot be separated from how it copes with the vulnerability of the ongoing economic, social and political condition. (Kompas’ Research and Development).
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