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PETALING JAYA: Almost half of Malaysians surveyed by a recent Ipsos Malaysia survey believe that a Covid-19 vaccine will be available by the end of the year.
The market research company said 48% of Malaysians believe a vaccine will be available, making them more optimistic than the world average of 41%.
The survey also found that China was the most optimistic at 87%, followed by Saudi Arabia (75%) and India (74%).
However, most Western countries such as France (40%), the United States (34%), Great Britain (31%) and Australia (27%) were less optimistic about the prospects for a vaccine this year.
The poll also noted that Japan was the least optimistic at 22%.
Ipsos Malaysia Managing Director Arun Menon said that as countries and companies compete against time to launch a Covid-19 vaccine, public opinion and acceptability play the biggest role in determining its success.
“Malaysians support emerging economies in their optimism for the early availability of a Covid-19 vaccine. Universal and affordable public health systems support Malaysia’s confidence in the availability of vaccines to the masses.
“Public authorities should be aware of the general apprehension about the potential side effects and efficacy of the vaccine as potential barriers to adoption,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (September 2).
The survey found that 85% of Malaysians feel they will have access to the vaccine once it is available, which is higher than the global average of 74%, adding that this is regardless of the socioeconomic background of the respondents.
The Chinese in China were the most optimistic with 97%, while the least optimistic were the Russians with 54%.
On concerns about side effects and doubts about the vaccine’s effectiveness, the survey said that 48% of Malaysians were concerned about the vaccine’s side effects.
He also noted that 33% of Malaysians believe the vaccine would not be effective, while 35% think they are not at risk of the pandemic, adding that 7% were against vaccines in general.
The study was conducted through the Ipsos Online Panel from July 4 to August 7 among 19,519 adults ages 16 to 74 in 27 countries.
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