In early December 2020, as two vaccines against COVID-19 were moving toward consideration by the US Food and Drug Administration, the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) in conjunction with Goodwin Simon Strategic Research, conducted a statewide survey of California health care providers regarding attitudes and motivations around a COVID-19 vaccine.

The survey was conducted December 2–9, 2020, among 1,203 health care providers.

Key findings include:

• Statewide, 83% of health care providers say they will get the vaccine. More than half (53%) will “definitely” get the vaccine if it is made available to them, and another 31% will “probably” get it.
• As for timing, nearly half of providers (47%) would want to get the vaccine immediately after it is made available to them, and another 23% would want to get it one to two months after.
• Sixty-five percent of all providers favor an employer mandate that clinicians receive the vaccine. While majorities across provider types favor an employer mandate, a potentially vocal minority (15%) of providers strongly oppose one.

About the Authors

Goodwin Simon Strategic Research (GSSR) is an independent opinion research firm with decades of experience in polling, policy analysis, and communications strategy for clients in the public and private sectors. GSSR’s Partner Amy Simon, Senior Research Director John Whaley, and research analyst Andrea Hackl all contributed their thought leadership to this survey research in collaboration with the California Health Care Foundation.