Survey Finds 46% of Construction Workers Will Forgo COVID-19 Vaccine

A recent survey conducted by Construction Dive found that nearly half of construction professionals have no plans to get a COVID-19 vaccination. States have begun their rollouts, many starting with essential workers such as construction workers, but 46% of surveyed pros say they will not get vaccinated. Top reasons for construction pros being hesitant include opinions that the vaccine is unnecessary, health concerns, and that it was not tested enough. Out of the nearly 450 respondents, 26% have been fully vaccinated and another 34% are awaiting their second dose. Those who have been vaccinated have done so for personal and public health reasons.

"I was ecstatic to get my first shot," said one respondent who is awaiting the second dose of the Pfizer vaccination. "The only path back to normalcy and a healthy economy is putting this virus behind us. Let's get back to life already!"

Nearly all respondents — 93% — said their companies are not offering incentives or bonuses for getting vaccinated although some said their companies are strongly encouraging it.

"We are encouraging all subcontractors working on our projects to ensure their employees are extended all opportunities to receive a vaccine," wrote one. "We are highly recommending that all our direct employees receive the vaccine(s) as soon as they are eligible and our superintendents are requiring all recommended protocols be rigorously enforced on our sites. We had three direct employees who contracted COVID-19 on a jobsite in early spring 2020, so we learned early on that the virus could have far-reaching implications."

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