NuVooDoo: Americans Take Wait-and-See Attitude On Variant

NuVoodoo Media Services has announcesd findings of a Quick Turn Study on Americans’ initial perceptions of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, fielded nationwide on November 29-30, 2021, to 1,854 adults aged 18-64, balanced by age, gender and geography. 

Among people 18-64, 65% report being at least partially vaccinated for COVID-19, with nearly 1 in 5 who also report having had a booster shot. Of those surveyed who are either undecided, intend to get jabbed but haven’t yet done so, or who have no plans to get the shot, more than one-third of the study sample are still not vaccinated.

Geographically, NuVoodoo found that respondents from the U.S. Midwest and South lag the rest of the country in total levels of inoculation but lead with better than 1 in 5 who do not intend to get vaccinated.

Carolyn Gilbert, President, NuVoodoo Media Services, commented: “The massive Omicron media coverage over the past few days has led to an overall increase in concern about COVID. It’s one-in-four in our sample overall, but increased concern among the vaccinated (29%) nearly doubles the concern among those who have not received their shot (17%). It may not seem intuitive based on the regional breakouts shown earlier, but increased concern since news of Omicron broke is most pronounced in the less-vaccinated South (28%), eclipsing concerns even in the highly vaccinated Northeastern U.S. (25%).”

Leigh Jacobs, EVP, Research Analysis, NuVoodoo Media Services, noted: “News about Omicron is not even a week old, but awareness for the new COVID variant is widespread. Only 20% in our sample haven’t yet heard of it. But overall concern levels fall short of the kinds of numbers we tracked in 2020, when Americans were first starting to live with the virus. Still, 37% overall and 39% among the fully vaccinated are concerned enough now to take at least a few extra precautions as the result of this new COVID strain.”

Mike O’Connor, EVP, Product Development, NuVoodoo Media Services, observed: “Most Americans appear to be taking a “wait and see” attitude about how Omicron will affect their outside activities. Around 2 in 3 aren’t likely to be deterred, at least for now, to shop in a store, dine indoors or attend a holiday party. By comparison, more are cautious overall when it comes to going to the movies or catching a plane. Better than 4 in ten are avoiding those things at least until the pandemic subsides or more is known about this new COVID strain.”

To view a related video on this NuVoodoo study, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXqreQ0MyoU.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, Contact Carolyn Gilbert, President, NuVoodoo Media Services, at: cg@nuvoodoo.com or at 888.9VooDoo (888.986.6366).