CANBERRA, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Young women are the most reluctant group in Australia to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a survey has found.

Researchers from Australian National University (ANU) on Thursday published the latest edition of a survey that has tracked the experiences and attitudes of 3,030 Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It found that only 43 percent of women aged 18 to 24 said they were willing to get vaccinated as soon as possible compared to 63 percent of the rest of the population.

"Young women were less willing than other groups to receive the vaccine," Diana Cardenas, the lead author of the study, said.

"More than half of Australia's young men, aged 18-24, are keen to get vaccinated as soon as possible - 62 percent."

People aged over 65 were most willing to get vaccinated with 80 percent saying they will volunteer for it as soon as possible.

"We found people - regardless of ethnicity, age and gender -- who have greater confidence in state and the federal governments are more willing to be vaccinated," Kate Reynolds from ANU's Research School of Psychology said.

"Social cohesion also mattered. We found key drivers of getting vaccinated for COVID-19 included when people had a sense of belonging in their neighborhood, and a belief that people are being treated fairly."

Less than a third - 30 percent - of young women said they had confidence in the federal government compared to 47 percent of the rest of the population.

In mid-2020, 18 percent of respondents said they were unsure if they would be willing to get vaccinated. By October 2020 that figure had risen to 20 percent.

The survey found 21 percent of Australians were concerned about serious risks of being vaccinated. Enditem

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