LONDON: Less than half of Japanese people want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine within a month after it becomes available, an international survey by the World Economic Forum and French pollster Ipsos showed Friday.

To the question, “Once the COVID-19 vaccine becomes available to you, when would you get the vaccine,” 49 percent of Japanese respondents said that they would get it immediately or in less than one month.

The rate is relatively low by international standards, suggesting that many people in Japan are taking a wait-and-see attitude toward inoculations.

The survey was conducted among more than 13,500 adults under the age of 75, Feb.25-28, 2021, on Ipsos’ online platform.

Brazil and Britain had the highest percentage of respondents wishing to get vaccinated immediately or within a month, both at 85 percent. Japan ranked 12th out of the 15 countries surveyed.

In Japan, 36 percent said that they want to receive a jab immediately, while 13 percent said they wish to receive in within the next month.

South Korea had the lowest proportion of the respondents seeking a jab within a month, at 31 percent. The figures for China and Russia, which have developed their own vaccines, stood lower than that of Japan, at 43 percent and 35 percent, respectively.

JIJI Press