College students in Greece were surveyed about their views on the COVID-19 vaccine. 51% said they would get vaccinated to protect public health and reopen society, though some wanted to wait until more people were vaccinated first. The other 49% said they would not get vaccinated, citing concerns that the vaccine was developed too quickly and that long-term side effects are unknown, or that as young people they are not at high risk from COVID-19. While most students trust scientists, they are also wary of politicians and doctors who discuss vaccines frequently in the media. Attitudes were mixed, with many willing to vaccinate if it allows travel or work but concerned about the vaccine's safety since it was created in just 9 months
1. what do college
students think about
the COVID-19 VACCINE
nup
Themis Drakonakis for nup - November 2020
2. COVID-19 changed the whole life of the college student community
around the world. Freshmen missed the chance of getting into their
University for their first semester and socializing with new people.
In Greece, for the first time ever, remote classes became a vital
need. However, according to many students, remote teaching does
not reflect the college life they were dreaming of.
nup
Introduction
3. The past weeks, different pharmaceutical companies around the
globe, announced different vaccines to help humans defend
themselves against COVID-19. An effective vaccine seems to be the
only solution to get back to our normal lives. However, even if the
scientific community ensures vaccines' safety, tons of people seem
sceptical about possible future side effects based on the limited
time and data.
nup
Introduction
4. nup is an anonymous community-based social app, exclusively for
college students (18-25). Right now, the app has a highly engaged user
base in Greece with thousands of college students expressing
themselves every day without the fear of being judged thanks to
anonymity. The app supports a research mechanism through polls.
Such a method has already helped greek brands collect important data
concerning the college student community and their habits or needs.
nup
Introduction
5. On Sunday, November 29 2020, the nup engineering team
launched a new public research inside the application. The
purpose of the research was to get insights concerning the
thoughts of the college student’s community about the new
COVID-19 vaccines. Are they positive to vaccination if it’s
the only way for this pandemic to come to an end?
nup
The “COVID-19 vaccine” research
6. The research was designed to last 24
hours and give just 2 options. The
first one was “Yes I’m going to be
vaccinated against COVID-19” and
the second one “No, I’m not going to
be vaccinated against COVID-19”.
nup
The “COVID-19 vaccine” research
9. nup
5%
5%
4%
5%
12%
18% 24%
27%
It’s social responsibility. They have to protect the total population (but they will be the last ones concerning their age)
They believe scientists and private companies (they are suspicious with doctors who talk to Media everyday)
They are positive to get vaccinated if it’s necessary to travel or find a new job etc
They believe it’s safe for now. Maybe in some years there will be more effective ones
They are positive to get vaccinated only when a huge number of people be vaccinated first
They are more afraid of the COVID-19 than the side effects
They are medical students and they have to
They are positive to get vaccinated to protect their families
Some arguments from people who are positive about vaccination
These insights are based on anonymous comments of users who are positive on vaccination. Our algorithm exported all the comments of
students who wrote their positive opinion about vaccinations, it combined similar ones and calculated the quota.
10. nup
2%4%
15%
79%
It’s too soon to know it is safe. They are afraid of future side effects. They do not believe that scientists found an effective vaccine in just 9 months
They are young with a healthy lifestyle. They don’t need it
They do not trust doctors and politicians
They are negative since they are afraid that it will transform their genetic material. They are suspicious of how fast humanity forgot cancer and other illnesses.
Some arguments from people who are negative about vaccination
These insights are based on anonymous comments of users who are negative on vaccination. Our algorithm exported all the comments of
students who wrote their negative opinion about vaccinations, it combined similar ones and calculated the quota.
11. College students belong to a really unique community. They are young adults
and they are educated in different academic fields. Their education level lets
only a really small amount of them believe in conspiracy theories and fake news.
However, the early vaccination issue seems really controversial among them.
Most of them are positive about vaccination in order to get their lives back. They
trust scientists when at the same time they are suspicious with doctors who have
a daily presence on the Media. Many of them believe they are forced by future
restrictions in traveling or education etc. But a huge amount is afraid of possible
future side effects. They know that a vaccine needs time and data to prove its
safety. COVID-19 situation forced the scientific community worldwide to find a
solution in 9 months. Many people from our community do not trust the early
stage results and they prefer to wait some years until they get vaccinated.
nup
Conclusion