Key Adult Populations Immunization Coverage Survey (KAPICS) : Perceptions, facilitators, and barriers

Vaccine hesitancy is reluctance or refusal to accept vaccines that healthcare providers recommend.

Use the charts on this page to learn about vaccine perceptions and hesitancy and what makes it easier or harder to get vaccinated.

On this page

• Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards vaccination
• Facilitators and barriers towards COVID-19 vaccination

Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards vaccination

Key observations

We separated people’s perception of all vaccines from COVID-19 and flu vaccines specifically.

• Among the general population:
  • 89% agreed that, in general, vaccines are effective in 2024 and 2025
  • 75% agreed that the flu vaccine is effective in 2025.
  • more than 70% agreed that COVID-19 vaccines are effective in 2024 and 2025 (73% and 72%, respectively)
  • more than 80% agreed that, in general, vaccines are safe in 2024 and 2025 (85% and 88%, respectively)
  • 83% agreed that the flu vaccine is safe in 2025
  • about 70% agreed that COVID-19 vaccines are safe in 2024 and 2025 (69% and 72%, respectively)
• Among the key populations:
  • more than 70% of all key populations agreed that, in general, vaccines are effective and safe in 2024 and 2025
    • between 82% (lower income) to 90% (young adults) agreed that vaccines are effective in 2025
    • between 79% (rural or remote communities) to 88% (young adults) agreed that vaccines are safe in 2025
  • more than 60% of all key populations agreed that the flu shot is effective in 2025, ranging from 67% (rural or remote communities) to 75% (people who use drugs)
  • more than 70% of all key populations agreed that the flu shot is safe in 2025, ranging from 74% (rural or remote communities) to 86% (young adults)
  • more than 50% of all key populations agreed that COVID-19 vaccines are effective and safe in 2024 and 2025
    • between 54% (Indigenous) to 70% (visible minorities) agreed that COVID-19 vaccines are safe in 2025
    • between 56% (Indigenous) to 72% (people who use drugs) agreed that COVID-19 vaccines are safe in 2025

Figure 1: Perceptions of vaccines among the ,

Figure 1 and its data table will update based on your dropdown selection. Interact with the bars in the visualization for more detailed information. Use the "Download data (.csv)" button to download all of the data used in this figure.

Figure 1: Text description

Figure 1: Notes

• We based vaccination coverage estimates on survey data from:
  • 2023 (January 9 and February 23, 2023, n = 5,703)
  • 2024 (January 11 to March 3, 2024, n = 5,862)
  • 2025 (February 19 to March 23, 2025, and May 1 to July 3, 2025, n = 5,754)
• We could not set quotas when targeting four populations: health care workers, industry workers, transportation workers and people who use drugs. As a result, we collected data for these populations through a pattern of naturally occurring characteristics that emerge within the general population.
• Populations are not mutually exclusive. Respondents can fall into multiple populations. For example, a respondent can be part of the young adults population as well as the industry workers population, or part of the transportation workers and rural or remote communities populations.
• In 2025, we didn’t capture health care workers, industry workers and transportation workers populations in the survey. The urban Indigenous population was reframed as “Indigenous.”
• In 2024 and 2025, agreement with statements included “strongly agree” and “somewhat agree” responses. Disagreement with statements included “somewhat disagree” and “strongly disagree” responses. Respondents could also select "I prefer not to answer." Due to the small proportion of responses, we didn’t include the results for this response.

Facilitators and barriers towards COVID-19 vaccination

Key observations

• Overall, the top reason for receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in 2024 was to protect themselves, family or household members from infection. This reason was given by:
  • 52% of the general population
  • all key populations, ranging from 25% of transportation workers to 62% of recent immigrants
• Overall, the top reason for not receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in 2025 was believing they were adequately protected by previous vaccine doses or COVID-19 infections. This reason was given by:
  • 26% of the general population
  • all key populations, ranging from 21% of people with lower education to 33% of young adults
• 81% of the general population reported no obstacles to COVID-19 vaccination in 2024
• The majority of all key populations reported no obstacles to COVID-19 in 2024, ranging between 68% (young adults) to 83% (health care workers).
• We didn’t collect data for obstacles to COVID-19 vaccination in 2025.

Figure 2: reported among the ,

Figure 2 and its data table will update based on your dropdown selections. Interact with the bars in the visualization for more detailed information. Use the "Download data (.csv)" button to download all of the data used in this figure.

Figure 2: Text description

• *: Estimates with unweighted base size (denominator) of less than 30 should be interpreted with caution. This is due to the increased coefficient of variation and, hence, there are larger confidence intervals around results with smaller bases.

Figure 2: Notes

• We based vaccination coverage estimates on survey data from:
  • 2023 (January 9 to February 23, 2023, n = 5,703)
  • 2024 (January 11 to March 3, 2024, n = 5,862)
  • 2025 (February 19 to March 23, 2025 and May 1 to July 3, 2025, n = 5,754)
• We could not set quotas when targeting four populations: health care workers, industry workers, transportation workers and people who use drugs. As a result, we collected data for these populations through a pattern of naturally occurring characteristics that emerge within the general population.
• Populations are not mutually exclusive. Respondents can fall into multiple populations. For example, a respondent can be part of the young adults population as well as the industry workers population, or part of the transportation workers and rural or remote communities populations.
• In 2025, we didn’t capture health care workers, industry workers and transportation workers populations in the survey. The urban Indigenous population was reframed as “Indigenous.”