Abstract
PURPOSE: To identify the reasons of individuals aged 60 years and older in Germany for not getting vaccinated against Covid-19. METHODS: Data for this study were collected in July/August 2021 from "Kommunikation der Corona-Schutzimpfung in Deutschland" (CoSiD)", a representative survey of the general adult population in Germany. The focus was on individuals aged 60 years and older in our current study (n=1,281 individuals). RESULTS: Approximately 92% of individuals 60 years and older were already vaccinated against Covid-19. Among the older unvaccinated, nearly 60% were opposed to vaccination. Major reasons among older (and also younger) unvaccinated persons for "rather not getting vaccinated"/"definitely not" wanting to be vaccinated against Covid-19 were: (1) too little research on the vaccines or too short a time of research (roughly half of the individuals) and (2 and 3) no confidence/general skepticism or because of side effects (in each case, just over a quarter of the group surveyed). CONCLUSION: To increase the vaccination rate, these three arguments must be countered, for instance, during conversations in the context of medical care.