PEOPLE are more hesitant to receive a COVID-19 booster shot now than they were when the roll out began last year, a new survey has found. 

The survey conducted by the Australian National University (ANU) shows less than half of all double-vaccinated Australians aged 18 and over have had their booster.

It also found young Australians aged 18 to 24, Indigenous Australians, people with low education, and those who live in disadvantaged areas, are less likely to have received a third dose of a COVID vaccine.

Study co-author professor Nicholas Biddle said the low booster uptake is not because of vaccine misinformation or resistance, but disengagement from information about COVID-19 among some groups.

“The findings suggest that booster uptake is not due to active resistance … but rather because people either do not have that much information about the need for a third dose or because they have made a judgement that it is not necessary for them,” Prof Biddle said.

“The experience of the first two doses, particularly side effects, may also have made some reluctant to seek out a third dose.”

The survey of more than 3400 adults, conducted in January 2022, found just over four-in-10 Australians (41.5 per cent) have received a third dose of the covid vaccine.

Prof Biddle said 65.4 per cent of people surveyed confirmed they would definitely get a booster compared to 71.9 per cent in a survey conducted in October.

“There is a very large proportion of adult Australians who are eligible for a booster but have not yet done so, with many of these individuals likely to have waning immunity from their first two doses,” Prof Biddle said.

The survey also found that those who have not completed Year 12 were significantly less likely to have received a booster compared to those who have completed Year 12 or have received post-school qualifications.