Investigating the Impact of Vaccine Fear on COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

Colton Bing, et al.
Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:10:00 PDT

During the rise of COVID-19, panic spread rapidly, inducing people into a state of heightened stress. Consequently, when the newly released COVID vaccine was introduced to the public, there were mixed reactions. Due to misinformation and fear of side effects, many people doubted the untested, proclaimed “miracle” vaccine, reducing its potential effectiveness on population immunity. Comparing the rates of vaccination and impact on population between the COVID-19 vaccine and various other vaccines, our project investigates the correlation between vaccine fear and population immunity. After controlling for political bias, we sent a survey to Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) students asking about their vaccination status and their subjective opinions of the vaccine. Additionally, we researched statistics on the COVID-19 vaccine and compared these to data on other, more mainstream vaccines. Furthermore, we interviewed the IMSA school nurses for personal opinions on this topic. After analyzing all of our data, we created graphs showing vaccine statistics and student opinions. In conclusion, this project highlighted the correlation between opinions on the vaccine and vaccination rates, while also comparing this relatively new vaccine to other, well-established and trusted vaccines.