In research conducted in Portugal, Spain, Italy and Belgium and conducted in Portugal by DECO Proteste, 77 percent of Portuguese respondents are available to be vaccinated, with 50 percent wanting to get the vaccine now.

9 percent of respondents say they do not want to be vaccinated, while 14 percent say they are not sure.

The main reason for not wanting to receive the vaccine is the fear of side effects, stated by 67 percent of respondents, while 45 percent do not trust the manufacturing process and 37 percent doubt the effectiveness.

More than half of the responses in Portugal (55 percent) agree with the idea that the Government is organizing the distribution efficiently and 50 percent of the respondents consider that the means mobilized for vaccination in Portugal are adequate.

A large majority (72 percent) agree with the priority groups to receive vaccines defined in the national plan.

Only 43 percent say that the information on the vaccination plan is complete, while 38 percent say that the government was transparent about the vaccine purchase process and 34 percent applies the same in relation to the pharmaceutical industry.

Despite being mostly available to vaccinate, half of the respondents consider that the vaccine development process was too fast to believe in its safety and 68 percent think that the pharmaceutical industry should be legally responsible for problems that might arise.

However, 63 percent said that if it were not safe, the vaccine would not have been authorized by the European Medicines Authority.

72 percent of people believe that the vaccine will contribute to the return to normality in social and family life and 75 percent believe that it can relief the pressure on hospitals.

In Portugal, 1,001 people responded from the 4,015 covered by the survey, conducted on the Internet between 5 and 21 January among people aged 18 to 74 years.