Expert on Pharmaceutical and Chemical-Related Technologies DR. DEAN L. FANELLI, Ph.D.

So far, most of the conversation about COVID-19 vaccines has focused on the question of whether researchers can develop an effective vaccine in record time. But maybe we should start asking another question as well: Will enough Americans actually get the vaccine for it to be effective? “It’s not a vaccine that will save us,” says Harvard Global Health Institute director Ashish Jha. “It’s vaccination.”

For a COVID-19 vaccine to actually stop the pandemic, scientists estimate that at least 60 percent of the population — and probably more like 75 or 80 percent — would need to be vaccinated, a number that depends on many factors, including the efficacy of the vaccine itself and how widely the virus has already spread. With that in mind, Yahoo News and YouGov have been polling the American people for the past few months.