CHICAGO – With the COVID-19 vaccine being distributed around the world, there’s hope that a return to pre-pandemic norms will come soon. According to a new survey from NielsenIQ, however, that return to normal might take longer than anticipated.  

Nearly two thirds (64%) of surveyed consumers around the world said they won’t take an approved COVID-19 vaccine immediately when it’s available, according to a survey from NielsenIQ, and there’s also consumer hesitation toward immediately changing spending habits even as higher percentages of the population receive vaccines. 

“The conversation surrounding the vaccine has been dominated by logistics: drug administration approvals, the speed of production rates, countries vying to secure enough doses to vaccinate their populations, and most recently concerns around scaling and speeding up the rollout in countries around the world,” said Scott McKenzie, global intelligence leader for NielsenIQ. “Confidence levels around the vaccines and the desire to take the vaccines certainly may change as countries begin more concerted rollouts and deliver education campaigns around the vaccines. But clear signals indicate that the arrival of vaccines won’t automatically flip a switch to put the world back on its pre-COVID path.” 

Key insights from the survey include: 

  • For the most part, wide availability of the vaccine will give some consumers confidence to increase their spending levels—for example, 16% expect to spend more on groceries, compared with 12% who will spend less and the vast majority who will spend the same. 

  • 72% of consumers have been consciously watching what they now spend because of the impact of COVID-19, suggesting significant ground to make up in reversing consumer habits and attitudes as the world embarks on achieving herd immunity.  

  • Health concerns remain prominent even when vaccines become available, as more than half of consumers lack confidence to dine out (58%), attend live sporting events (65%) or travel overseas (70%) even upon confirmation of the timing when they personally could receive a vaccine. 

  • Financial challenges still loom large, with more than half of consumers (52%) saying they won’t be confident in their personal finances when they learn the timing of getting vaccinated. 

  • With just 40% of US respondents expressing confidence in using public transport upon confirmation of the timing that they personally could receive an approved COVID-19 vaccine, there’s a long road ahead for consumers to return to pre-COVID commuting habits and recommit to the retailers in commercial/city hubs where they used to shop. 

  • Just over half (53%) of US respondents say they will be confident in their personal finances when they learn the timing of getting vaccinated. 

  • When asked how they will spend on groceries after the vaccine becomes widely available in the US, 64% of U.S. respondents said they will spend the same as they have, 21% said they will spend more and 15% said they will spend less. 

  • When asked how they will spend on out-of-home dining after the vaccine becomes widely available in the United States more than two-fifths of US respondents (41%) said they will spend the same as they have, and about the same proportion said they will spend more (24%) as those who said they will spend less (22%). 

  • Of the majority of consumers who don’t plan to take the vaccine as soon as they’re able to, 41% say they will wait for some time, and 12% say they won’t take it at all. Just over a third (36%) indicated that they will take it right now, while 11% remain undecided. 

The survey was conducted in December 2020. NielsenIQ’s Customized Intelligence Business Unit surveyed more than 11,000 consumers across 15 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK and the US.