Skepticism about getting a coronavirus vaccine has grown since earlier this summer, and most voters say if a vaccine were made available this year, their first thought would be that it was rushed through without enough testing.
Just 21% of voters nationwide now say they would get a vaccine as soon as possible if one became available at no cost, down from 32% in late July. Most would consider it but would wait to see what happens to others before getting one.
Two-thirds of voters think if a vaccine were announced as soon as this year, their initial thought would be that it was rushed through without enough testing, rather than a scientific achievement that happened quickly. Among those who feel it would have been rushed, just 13% say they would get a vaccine for the coronavirus as soon as possible if one were available.
As President Trump touts the possibility that a coronavirus vaccine may be available this fall, the number of Democrats who say they would get a vaccine right away has dropped sharply.
Most Democrats now say they would consider getting the vaccine but want to wait to see what happens to others. Republicans, who have been less concerned personally about the coronavirus, continue to take a wait and see approach, as they did in July.
Even Democrats who are "very concerned" about themselves or a family member contracting the coronavirus say they would not get a vaccine right away.
Among Democrats, we see some differences by race. White Democrats are more than twice as likely as Black Democrats to say they would get a vaccine for the virus as soon as it was available.
Three in four of Democrats say if a vaccine were to become available this year, their first thought would be that it was rushed without enough testing. They are joined by nearly half of Republicans who hold this view. Slightly more Republicans (52%) think if a vaccine is available this year, they would consider it a scientific achievement to find one that fast. These Republicans are more likely to say they would get a vaccine as soon as one was available, but a majority would still wait or never get one at all.
As the coronavirus outbreak continues, voters now have less trust in some key entities for information about the virus, with a notable drop in trust in the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Back in March, 86% of voters trusted the CDC for accurate information about the virus, but today just 54% do. Trust is down across all major demographics, including both Democrats and Republicans. Fewer also trust the media, their state's governor and President Trump for accurate information about the coronavirus, compared to the spring.
Regarding the presidential candidates, more voters trust Joe Biden than President Trump to make sure a safe coronavirus vaccine is available. We see the usual partisan differences here, with independents divided.
When a vaccine is developed, 75% of voters think the next president, whoever it is, should publicly take the vaccine to help show the public it is safe. Here we see agreement along partisan lines: Majorities of Republicans (65%), Democrats (84%) and independents (76%) all think the next president should do this.
This survey was conducted on behalf of CBS News by YouGov between September 2-4 2020. It is based on a representative sample of 2,493 registered voters nationwide. The margin of error is +/- 2.4 points.