OVERALL, 19% of adults say they have already received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to a survey of more than 10,000 adults by Pew Research Center. Another 50% say they definitely or probably plan to get vaccinated. Taken together, 69% of the public intends to get a vaccine – or already has – up from 60% in November.

THOSE who do not currently plan to get a vaccine (30% of the public) list a range of reasons why. Majorities cite concerns about side effects (72%), a sense that vaccines were developed and tested too quickly (67%) and a desire to know more about how well they work (61%), according to the vast Pew survey.

THERE has not been much progress made over the past 5 years in terms of workforce diversity in STEM professions, according to another Pew survey. Hispanic workers make up 17% of total employment across all occupations, but just 8% of all STEM workers. Their share of all STEM workers is up 1% since 2016, in line with their growth in the overall workforce. Black workers comprise 11% of all employed adults, compared with 9% of those in STEM occupations. There has been no change in the share of Black workers in STEM jobs since 2016.

BLACK and Hispanic adults are also underrepresented among STEM college graduates compared with their share in the population, and a smaller share are earning degrees in a STEM field than in other degree programs. Black students earned 7% of STEM bachelor’s degrees as of 2018 and Hispanic college graduates earned 12% of STEM degrees – lower than that for all college graduates (15%) in 2018.

WOMEN make up half (50%) of those employed in STEM jobs, slightly higher than their share in the overall workforce (47%). Within STEM occupational clusters, women are 74% of healthcare practitioners and technicians, account for 25% of those working in computer occupations, and continue to be vastly underrepresented in the ranks of engineers and architects (15%).