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Your Mediterranean diet meal planning guide: Mediterranean diet recipes and more
A heart-healthy Mediterranean diet is a smart choice for alleviating many health ailments. Explore Mediterranean diet breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks.
Inspired by the traditional cuisines of Greece, Italy, and Spain, the Mediterranean diet is widely celebrated for its health benefits. Rich in healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables, the Mediterranean diet has a wide range of health benefits. Keep reading to learn more—and explore our recipes that can help you eat like you're in Santorini.
What is the Mediterranean diet?
The Mediterranean diet is a whole-foods-based way of eating that emphasizes enjoying plant-based foods and healthy fats. This eating style doesn't require you to stick to specific macronutrient ratios or calorie limits. Rather, it encourages you to include a wide variety of natural foods in every meal while limiting red meat and sweets.
The basic guidelines of the Mediterranean diet include:
- Enjoy plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds, nuts, potatoes, whole grains, fish, seafood, herbs, spices, and extra virgin olive oil.
- Enjoy moderate servings of eggs, cheese, poultry, yogurt, and red wine a few times each week.
- Limit or avoid red meat, processed foods, added sugar, processed meat, refined grains, beer, and liquor.
In addition to following general food guidelines, the Mediterranean diet also encourages eating meals with friends or family, away from screens and other electronic devices.
Mediterranean diet benefits
There are many benefits associated with enjoying a Mediterranean diet, including:
- May prevent weight gain: While research has yet to confirm that the Mediterranean diet will cause weight loss, it does suggest that eating this way may be a good option for those who want to manage their weight long-term.
- Promotes heart health: According to the American Heart Association, the Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of developing health issues like obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, all of which can contribute to the development of heart disease.
- Supports healthy blood sugar levels: The Mediterranean diet may decrease insulin resistance, which can help the body use naturally-produced insulin to effectively regulate blood sugar levels.
Mediterranean diet breakfast recipes
Blueberry Overnight Oats with Greek Yogurt
Sourced from Mediterranean Living
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or your favorite milk: soy, oat or cow's milk)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- Dash of salt
- 1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
- 1/4 cup roasted walnuts
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except walnuts into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Serve topped with roasted walnuts.
Vegetable Omelets
Sourced from Eating Well
Ingredients
- ½ cup no-salt-added diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, well drained
- ½ cup cucumber, chopped and seeded
- ½ cup chopped yellow summer squash
- ½ ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Nonstick cooking spray
- ¼ cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño chile peppers
- Snipped fresh chives
Directions
- For the filling, in a medium bowl, stir together tomatoes, cucumber, squash and avocado. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg product, water, basil, salt and pepper.
- For each omelet, coat an 8-inch non-stick skillet generously with cooking spray. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add a generous 1/3 cup of the egg mixture to a hot skillet.
- Immediately begin stirring eggs gently but continuously with a wooden spatula until the mixture resembles cooked egg pieces surrounded by liquid egg. Stop stirring. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds more or until the egg is set but shiny.
- Spoon 1/2 cup of the filling over one side of the omelet. Carefully fold the omelet over the filling. Very carefully remove the omelet from the skillet. Repeat to make 4 omelets total, using paper towels to wipe the skillet clean and spraying with cooking spray between omelets. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese over each omelet. If desired, garnish with chives.
Mediterranean diet lunch recipes
Salmon Soup
Sourced from The Mediterranean Dish
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 green onions, chopped
- ½ green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 oz fresh dill, divided, chopped
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 lb gold potatoes, thinly sliced into rounds (best to use a mandolin slicer)
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced into rounds (best to use a mandolin slicer)
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- ¾ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 lb salmon fillet, no skin, cut into large chunks
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large pot until shimmering but not smoking. Add green onions, bell pepper, and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until fragrant (about 3 minutes or so). Add ½ of the fresh dill, and stir for 30 seconds more.
- Now add broth, potatoes and carrots. Add spices and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Bring to a rolling boil, then lower heat to medium and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
- Season salmon with kosher salt and gently add it to the pot of simmering soup. Lower heat and cook for a few brief minutes until salmon is cooked through about 3 to 5 minutes, or until salmon is cooked and flakes easily.
- Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining dill.
- Transfer salmon soup to serving bowls. Serve with a side of your favorite crusty bread. Enjoy!
Turmeric Rice Bowl with Garam Masala Root Vegetables & Chickpeas
Sourced from Eating Well
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ½ cup brown basmati rice
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder or garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric or 1 teaspoon freshly grated turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Vegetables & Chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee
- 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 teaspoon garam masala or Indian curry powder
- 1 cup roasted root vegetables
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt or tahini
- Chopped fresh herbs, such as mint, parsley and/or cilantro, for garnish
Directions
- To prepare rice: Combine water, rice, raisins, olive oil, onion powder (or garlic powder), turmeric, cinnamon, pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the liquid is absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to prepare vegetables & chickpeas: Heat coconut oil (or ghee) in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chickpeas and cook, stirring, until crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garam masala (or curry powder) and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add roasted root vegetables, sugar (or honey), salt and pepper; cook, stirring often, until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in lemon juice.
- Serve the vegetable mixture over the rice, topped with yogurt (or tahini). Garnish with herbs, if desired.
Mediterranean diet dinner recipes
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Sourced from Downshiftology
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 limes, zested and juiced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Make the marinade. In a mixing bowl, whisk together two tablespoons of olive oil, lime juice and zest, cumin, chili powder, minced garlic, honey, salt, pepper, and chopped cilantro. You can also pulse in a food processor until it's combined.
- Marinate the chicken. Combine the marinade and chicken thighs in a bowl or shallow dish. Marinate chicken for 30 minutes to an hour in the fridge. When the chicken is done marinating, take it out of the fridge and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Sear the chicken. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Heat the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes with the skin side down, until they're golden brown. Then, flip the chicken and sear the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point.
- Bake the chicken. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the chicken thighs for 15 to 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F (70°C).
- Garnish and serve. Remove the chicken from the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes, and garnish with extra lime slices and cilantro leaves before serving.
Hearty Mushroom Ragu
Sourced from The Domestic Dietitian
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds Assorted Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (we used a mix of shitake and white button mushrooms)
- 2 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- Optional Garnish – chopped Italian parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Once warm, add the diced shallot and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and continuously stir until the garlic is fragrant and golden, about 30–45 seconds.
- Add the mushrooms, rosemary and thyme and continue to sauté until the mushrooms begin to cook down and become soft.
- Add the flour and continue to stir until all the flour has been absorbed by the mushrooms.
- Turn the heat up a bit and add the wine, continue to cook until the wine has reduced by about half the amount.
- Add the vegetable broth and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Continue to let the mushroom mixture simmer, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and the mushrooms continue to soften, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve with optional parsley and parmesan cheese if desired.
Mediterranean diet snack ideas
Thankfully, there are tons of simple snacks you can keep on hand that are in line with Mediterranean diet guidelines, including:
- Tomato, mozzarella, and basil skewers
- Hummus and veggies
- Fruit and cottage cheese
- Roasted nuts
- Salt and vinegar pumpkin seeds
- Sliced apples with cinnamon and almond butter
- Roasted chickpeas
We're here to help you through every step of your health journey
Whether you're getting started with the Mediterranean diet, you're trying to increase your daily activity levels, or you have another health goal, the team at Evidation is here to support you. When you download our free app, you'll be prompted to share the health data you're already tracking (like information from a wearable fitness device, data from the app you use to log your meals, etc.). We'll use the information you choose to share to find patterns and trends, and we'll provide you with personalized, content-based insights to help you make decisions that bring you closer to your goals. If you're ready to start moving forward, we're ready to support you. Click here to learn more about how Evidation works and get started today.
Creamy Asparagus Soup
This rich, creamy asparagus soup is one of those go-to comfort meals. It will easily satisfy your want for flavor, and the best part…it’s super healthy. So you get all of the glut with none of the guilt!
This rich, creamy asparagus soup is one of those go-to comfort meals. It will easily satisfy your want for flavor, and the best part…it’s super healthy. So you get all of the glut with none of the guilt!
It’s naturally gluten free, vegetarian, and keto — and with one simple swap it can be vegan and paleo too!
Food is such an integral part of our daily lives, and while we know that eating healthy is important to our overall well being, it can sometimes seem difficult to find delicious meals that are good for you.
So we’ve decided to create a place to share these gems.
This is just the first of many healthy, tasty recipes we’ll be sharing with our Achievement community. Each of these recipes will come from Achievement team members or Achievement users like you!
We’ll also tell you a little about the recipe author and the dish. Because sharing a meal is about so much more than the food. It’s about coming together.
The Story
I love asparagus! And it just so happens, that May is National Asparagus Month! And since it’s also Celiac Awareness Month, I knew I had to share this recipe.
I’m a sucker for cream soups, but I have celiac disease which can make it almost impossible for me to find safe soup in a restaurant or out of a package. Most cream soups start with a roux to ensure that rich, creamy texture.
Now, I could get that with a gluten-free flour, but I try to keep things as simple and healthy as possible.
So creating a thick creamy soup without the need for thickeners was top priority for me!
Luckily, I love to cook.
This soup gets it’s texture by using the parts of the asparagus stalk that you would normally toss out. Which also means it helps reduce food waste — which is a big win!
And the best part…it’s full of good-for-you nutrients and easily aligns with many dietary needs and preferences.
Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh asparagus
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch of fresh ground nutmeg (pre ground will work too!)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Trim woody ends of asparagus and place in a large pot — reserve the rest for later! ***If there are very thick, hard parts at the bottom, remove and discard.
- Cover with broth and heat to boiling.
- When the broth reaches a full boil, reduce to simmer, cover, and cook until stalks are tender. 20–40 minutes, depending on the toughness of the asparagus stalks.
- Remove any stalks that have remained too hard or woody (that won’t puree nicely).
- Chop onion and garlic and remaining asparagus. Add to the pot. These can be rough chopped as it will all be pureed later.
- Return to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg. ***You can leave the nutmeg out if you don’t like it or are unsure. The idea is not to taste it, just to add a depth of flavor to the soup.
- Cook until veggies are tender.
- Remove from heat and puree using an immersion blender, or allow to cool and transfer to a standing blender in batches and then return to the pan.
- Reheat until warmed through and add in cream. Allow to heat through, but do not boil.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Modifications:
This dish is already gluten free, vegetarian, and keto-friendly (trust me, you won’t know it — it’s so rich and delicious!). But you can easily make it Vegan and Paleo as well by substituting the heavy cream with full-fat coconut cream.
If you’re not familiar with coconut cream, it’s the solid part of a can of coconut milk (before you mix it up). So, if you can’t find canned coconut cream, you can use the solid cream part of a can of coconut milk.
It does change the flavor a bit, but I’ve done it plenty of times and it is still very tasty!
Tips:
- I save the woody ends of asparagus throughout the year and freeze them. Then, when I want to make this soup, I pull them out of the freezer and cook them down with the rest. This gives the soup a much deeper flavor. And it means less food waste!
- Use chicken bone broth instead of vegetable broth for added nutrition and a dose of gut-healing collagen!
The Women who Inspire our Evidation Members
Meet the women who inspire us to be our best selves! In honor on National Women's month, take some time to honor the inspiring women in your life.
Last month was Women’s History Month and later this month we celebrate one special group of women in our lives — the group of women we call mothers.
We know that Mother’s Day can be difficult for many, and we recognize that the word “mother” means many things.
With that in mind, we want to share the love and inspiration that comes from the women in our lives, whoever they are.
Some of these women have given birth, some have raised us, taught us, picked us up when we’ve been knocked down. Others have been friends, sisters, aunts, lovers. Some, we have lost.
But each of them have inspired us in one way or another.
And inspiration is something we appreciate here at Evidation.
So, we’d like to highlight the women who’ve inspired our community of members!
We recently asked Evidation Members about the women who inspire them, and the response was amazing!
Over 19,000 members sent us inspiring stories of the women in their lives.
It took us a while to get through the many heartfelt submissions, and while we’d love to share them all, we’ve chosen to highlight a few here in honor of women everywhere.
Meet our members and the women who inspire them
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“Ms. Thomas was my first African American female teacher in the third grade; also my only till I reached college. We instantly bonded and have a relationship to this day. She was such a smart and powerful woman and I think she is one of the many people that have encouraged and supported me to become the woman I am today. I could not imagine what my school experience would have been without her. She was always there to offer me extra support outside of class time and continued to help when I was no longer in her class. I can say that I love this woman and am so glad that she is a part of my life.” — Brieanna, Lexington
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“My friend Michelle inspires me in many ways. She is a retired firefighter/paramedic. She has been a competitive bodybuilder. Is a yoga instructor, painter, quilter and end of life doula. When she turned 50 she walked the Camino de Santiago and hiked the Kalalau in Kauai, both in a skirt. (Because, you know, year of the skirt). She is a wife, mother, and grandmother. She loves life and encourages others to love themselves and their life too.” — Karen, Las Vegas
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“My Lola (grandmother in Tagalog) is a truly inspiring woman. She originally graduated at the top of her class in accounting, then when she was in her 40s, she fought ageism and attended medical school to become an ophthalmologist. Not only is she brilliant, she is also a wonderful mother to 7 children, and Lola to her 13 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. She was also one of the first female drivers in the Philippines. While my mom’s classmates were being picked up by their drivers, my Lola decided to learn how to drive a car so she could pick up her children herself. At 94 years old today, she is still brilliant, witty and going strong.” — Mariella, Toledo
“Nhu is a very dear friend of mine and she came to USA around 1980. She became USA citizens and is very much a good person. She has had her struggles along the way as she lives here in the USA and had always been a positive person no matter what happened to her as far as people treat her, she has always look to a more positive attitude towards them as she goes on with her life, she appreciate being here from where she came from she is a refugee from Vietnam and I can only imagine what her life was before her life here! To be so patient and positive about things takes a lot of patience and I love and dearly respect her for that. She has inspired me to look at things in a more patient and kind away in my life. She is a very dear and precious friend to have.” — Sher, Tacoma
“She has been my head principal for 10 years, and she continually inspires teachers, students, staff, parents, and the community to do and be their best. She never accepts excuses, and is continually looking for solutions to problems that make our high school awesome. She also treats everyone equally, which I never experienced until she came. She even helped our band to get funding for new marching band uniforms which we haven’t had in a few decades. I’m just sad to see her retire at the end of this school year, but wish her the best in her next chapter. I’m very grateful for knowing because she has made me a better teacher. I’ll never forget her.” — Charles, West Jordan
Give back by supporting woman-friendly charities
Evidation Members can donate the money they earn in app to a variety of charities. Some of the charities that are supportive of women and woman-related issues are:
- Black Girls Code
- Black Women’s Health Alliance
- Girls who Code
- Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
- Tides Foundation
- Loveland Foundation
Want to learn more about Evidation? Click here!
Preliminary Results from our Second COVID-19 Vaccination Perceptions and Behaviors Survey
COVID-19 vaccines have been a source of hope and trepidation for many. We wanted to know how individuals felt about the vaccines
The release of COVID-19 vaccinations has been a symbol of hope to many people — -and a source of hesitancy to some. For our second survey on COVID-19 vaccination perceptions and behaviors (which we will refer to as “survey 2” throughout this blog post), we wanted to understand how people were feeling about the vaccines as people first started getting access to them. We launched the survey in January 2021, and are excited to share some preliminary results with you!
Participants
100,080 people (“participants”) completed survey 2. 54,701 have completed all surveys in the study so far. The mean age of survey 2 participants was 37.4 (standard deviation: 12.2 years). The majority of survey 2 participants identified as female (80.8%) and identified as white (78.0%).
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Vaccination Likelihood and Hesitancy
One of our main focuses for this survey was to examine how COVID-19 vaccination likelihood and hesitancy has evolved over time.
11.4% of participants had already gotten a COVID-19 vaccine when they took the survey, with an additional 0.6% reporting participating in COVID-19 vaccination trials:
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Overall, survey 2 participants reported being more positive about COVID-19 vaccination than they had been previously. 30% of participants reported feeling more likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine than they had been a month ago:
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People reported a range of reasons for their likelihood of vaccination increasing, with some common responses including:
- Feeling more informed about COVID vaccination overall (for example, “learned more information about it”, “just thinking and researching”)
- Feeling more confident about COVID vaccination safety as more data and research were released (for example, “more data on potential side effects”, “studies are getting better and more people are receiving it.”)
- Feeling more confident about COVID vaccination safety as they saw their friends, family, and community starting to get vaccinated (for example, “seeing those I respect get it”, “watching people I know get it with little adverse side effects”)
We saw a similar trend looking at the differences between reported vaccination likelihood in the first and second surveys; mean reported likelihood was 4.93 in survey 1 (median=5), and 6.53 in survey 2 (median=8.0):
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Although the majority of participants (51.5%) still report being more hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines than other vaccines, a higher percentage of survey 2 participants reported being equally or less hesitant than survey 1 participants:
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Vaccination Informedness
As mentioned above, one common reason people gave for their increase in vaccination likelihood was feeling more informed about the vaccines. Our data reflect this increase in self-reported informedness; in survey 1, only 27.1% of participants reported feeling “informed” or “very informed”, but 53.3% did so in survey 2:
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The most common pieces of information unvaccinated participants reported needing to know before deciding to get the COVID-19 vaccine were all potential side effects (62.7%) and possible long-term impacts of vaccination (58.9%).
We look forward to further investigating these current perceptions and behaviors and see how they change as more people become eligible for vaccination!
Next Steps
To understand how people’s perceptions and behaviors related to COVID-19 vaccination continue to evolve as vaccines become available more broadly, we will send additional surveys over the following months asking for Evidation Members’ perceptions and behaviors. The exact dates of these future surveys will depend on developments in the pandemic and COVID-19 vaccination, so stay tuned for more!
If you’d like to get vaccinated, see this CDC page with resources to find appointments near you.
How Election Night 2020 Impacted Our Bedtimes
Do people stay up later on election night? Find out what we discovered.
Our Research, Analytics, and Learning team is exploring and analyzing data from our Evidation platform, where members contribute to research and help us uncover insights that could improve their health and the health of others.
During this year’s presidential election there was high voter turnout which included record-breaking numbers of mail-in ballots due to COVID-19. As we now know, this high volume of ballots required multiple days to count, so no final winner could be projected on Election Day. We decided to look at Evidation Members activity data to see what changes the election may have caused for our members.
We used Fitbit data contributed by Evidation Members, to explore sleep characteristics and schedules for the month leading up to Election Day in 2020. We looked specifically at the time that each member went to bed in their local timezone. Equivalent time periods in 2017–2019 were used for comparison. These periods were aligned across years based on week rather than calendar date, so that differences in weekend and weekday sleep cycles would line up. This also syncs the end of daylight saving time, which happened on November 1, 2020, the Sunday two days before Election Day, and temporarily shifts our sleep cycles earlier. Positioning the data in this way allows for appropriate comparisons of data across years.
So, did anything about our sleep change? This plot shows the average time Evidation Members started sleeping on the weeks leading up to and immediately after daylight saving time from 2017–2020:
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There is a clear weekly pattern: we go to bed later on Friday and Saturday nights, when we have a weekend day ahead of us. On daylight savings weekend we started sleeping slightly earlier as we adjusted to the end of daylight saving time, a trend which continues through the following week as we slowly adjust to going to bed later again. However, on Election Day 2020 this pattern was disrupted; bedtimes spiked up over 20 minutes from Sunday and Monday night.
You may also notice the interesting pattern of later bedtimes in 2017, leading up to daylight saving time. This lines up with Halloween night and games 6 and 7 of the 2017 World Series. We’ve examined the impact of the 2017 World Series on sleep in the past.
As we looked closer at our sleep data, we were curious to see if members on the East Coast stayed up later in their time zone than those on the West Coast while they waited for results, so we examined average bedtimes in each time zone. On election night, members on the East Coast stayed up the latest (11:51 PM), compared to members in the Central (11:39 PM), Mountain (11:39 PM), and Pacific (11:43 PM) time zones. Compared to the previous night, members in Eastern Standard Time stayed up 22 minutes later, Central Standard Time 20 minutes later, and Mountain Standard Time 23 minutes later, while members in Pacific Standard Time stayed up only 14 minutes later.
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Regardless of where we live, sleep is an important part of our health. Fortunately, later bedtimes due to the election were confined to Tuesday night. Bedtimes returned to normal after Election Day, as it became clear that election results would take at least several more days to be projected.
Did you stay up late on Election Day? If you have tips to reduce stress or improve sleep, we’d love to hear them.
Preliminary Results from our First COVID-19 Vaccination Perceptions and Behaviors Survey
We wanted to understand people’s evolving perceptions and behaviors related to COVID-19 and vaccinations.
We are all looking forward to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruptions it’s caused in our lives. A safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine will form part of the public health strategy to help us reach this endpoint faster. As many organizations work to develop and release such a vaccine, we wanted to understand people’s evolving perceptions and behaviors related to COVID-19 and vaccinations. We launched the first set of surveys in our study in October, and are excited to share some preliminary results with you!
Objectives
This study’s goal is to describe people’s perceptions and behaviors around the COVID-19 vaccine. For example, what reasons do people have for getting or not getting the COVID-19 vaccine? How likely are they to get it once it’s released? Has the pandemic encouraged people to get the flu shot? This study will investigate whether and how these perceptions and behaviors change over time, as COVID-19 vaccines are developed and released.
Methods
To describe people’s perceptions and behaviors, and how those perceptions and behaviors change over time, we are asking for people’s input through a series of online surveys. These surveys will be sent throughout the development and release of COVID-19 vaccines.
So far, we’ve launched 2 surveys: one to understand the backgrounds of the people participating (for example, their demographics, where they live, whether they’re at risk for COVID-19), and one to characterize current perceptions and behaviors. We have started analyzing the data collected between October 9th, 2020 and November 11th, 2020. We won’t be able to understand how perceptions and behaviors have changed until we launch the next survey, but we can start to describe how people are currently feeling about the COVID-19 vaccine!
Preliminary Results
Here are some preliminary results from our first 2 surveys.
Participants
64,750 people (“participants”) have completed the first perceptions and behaviors survey. Mean age was 38.5 (SD: 11.7 years), and the majority of participants identified as female (79.7%) and identified as white (80.0%).
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All 50 states (plus Puerto Rico and Washington, DC) are represented:
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Vaccination Likelihood, Motivators, and Barriers
On average, participants were on the fence in terms of likelihood of getting the COVID-19 vaccine when it’s released (mean=4.93, median=5). The distribution shows a wide range of opinions, with the largest numbers of people reporting at:
- 0 (“Very unlikely”): 18.8%
- 5: 13.6%
- 10 (“Very likely”): 14.3%
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The most common reasons people reported for getting the COVID-19 vaccine were to:
- help protect their family, friends, or community (59.9%)
- lower their chances of getting COVID-19 (56.7%)
- lower their chances of having to go to the doctor or getting hospitalized due to severe COVID-19 symptoms (53.7%)
- feel more comfortable spending time with their friends, family, or community (55.7%)
The most common reasons people had to not get vaccinated were because they were:
- concerned the vaccine is being approved too quickly (61.3%)
- concerned about possible side effects (60.1%)
- not sure the vaccine will be safe (56.2%)
- not sure the vaccine will be effective (57.0%)
Relative Vaccination Hesitancy
Most participants reported feeling more hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine than other vaccines (68.0%), with 24.9% feeling equally hesitant and 7.1% feeling less hesitant:
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Vaccination Informedness
We’ve also found that people don’t feel particularly well-informed about the COVID-19 vaccine in general. 19.8% of participants report feeling “Not at all informed”, 22.7% “Slightly informed”, 30.4% “Moderately informed”, 19.2% “Informed”, and only 7.9% “Very informed”:
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Pandemic Influence on Flu Shot Plans and Behavior
The CDC has stressed that getting the flu shot this season is more important than ever, to help protect oneself and others and to minimize burden on the healthcare system. Many participants seem to agree: of the 35,997 participants who had not gotten the flu shot yet (or were unsure), 20.2% reported being more likely to get it this season due to the pandemic:
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Of the 28,753 participants who had gotten the flu shot, 20.0% reported that the pandemic encouraged them to get it, and 9.1% reported the pandemic was the primary reason they did so:
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We are excited to continue to investigate these current perceptions and behaviors and see how they change over the coming months!
Next Steps
To understand how people’s perceptions and behaviors related to COVID-19 vaccination evolve over the development and release of vaccines, we will send more surveys over the following months asking for Evidation Member’s perceptions and behaviors. These surveys will be sent as big events happen around the vaccine’s development, like its approval or release. The exact dates of these future surveys will depend on when these events happen, so stay tuned for more!
8 Fresh Summer Ideas
Don’t let summer pass you by this year! We chatted with our team and consolidated some of our favorite activities.
Don’t let summer pass you by this year! We chatted with our team and consolidated some of our favorite activities.
- Connect with brainy folks all around the world with Atlas Obscura’s Trivia Night! Rally together a virtual team and participate for $7.
- Celebrate Blues Artist Mavis Staples and listen to other folk artists including Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Ben Harper, and Phoebe Bridgers for a Livestream concert. Tickets cost $12. Tune in this Friday, July 31st at 8:30pm EST.
- Join host Saleem Reshamwala as he goes on global expeditions and learns from people around the world who are creatively working to make their communities better. Tune into this Ted podcast to transport to another world virtually in the absence of travel.
- Host a virtual book club with friends. The benefit of talking about your latest read via Zoom or video chat is that you can connect with friends across time zones.
- Jump on the geocaching bandwagon. We recently heard from some Achievers that they’ve been geocaching with their family members for an active, outdoor treasure hunt.
- Make a box fort/cat castle for your cat children if you’re a cat mom or dad. :)
- Set up a socially distanced front yard hang! Dust off your lawn chairs and pick up some of your favorite snacks and head outdoors.
- Choose a road trip and safely travel to a closeby spot! Know you’re not alone in opting for a road trip as a staycation during these unusual times. Read up on some of the best road trips in America.
- Host your very own hot sauce competition with your “quaranteam.” Find some new hot sauces you’ve always wanted to try online and order them in to have a mini hot sauce competition. Pro tip: the Heatonist has some of our favorites.
- Channel your inner artist with a paint by number kit. Tune into a favorite playlist and enjoy a leisurely weekend art hour.
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Representation in Research Matters
We’re collaborating with BlackDoctor.org to ensure that the effects of COVID-19 are investigated in a representative population.
Historically, minorities have been inadequately represented in research studies. We’re committed to enrolling a more diverse and representative population in Evidation for studies.
We’re collaborating with BlackDoctor.org to ensure that the effects of COVID-19 are investigated in a representative population.
We, in partnership with BlackDoctor.org and Myovant Sciences, have launched Forward Momentum, a cross-sector coalition working to improve the lives of men with prostate cancer. Forward Momentum is committed to addressing the complex set of challenges that hold back the representation, information, and conversations that all men deserve. By bringing together organizations from diverse sectors and investing in novel digital initiatives, Forward Momentum strives to accelerate progress for men with prostate cancer.
Stay tuned for more updates from us on these research efforts!
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Hear from Us About the Future of Health
Evidation partners with the world’s leading healthcare companies and enables everyone to participate in research.
Our CEO, Deborah Kilpatrick, recently spoke on a podcast about the importance of everyday behavior data and the future of health. After working in the medical technology space, she joined Evidation Health in 2014. Evidation partners with the world’s leading healthcare companies and enables everyone to participate in research. We’re focused on helping people measure everyday activities. We’re also invested in connecting our community to opportunities that will help them better understand the conditions that impact them and their loved ones. Listen more on this podcast here.
Together We Can Achieve More
At Evidation, we’re focused on meeting people where they are and helping them along their health journey.
At Evidation, we’re focused on meeting people where they are and helping them along their health journey. Our engaged community of members represents 96% of U.S. counties and includes individuals across ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This community puts us in a unique position to learn from one another and contribute to meaningful health research.
With a mission of helping people participate in better health outcomes, we're committed to identifying opportunities that are inclusive of all and educating ourselves on the social issues that are impacting the world. To truly achieve our mission of helping people participate in better health outcomes, we recognize we have more work to do. Our commitment going forward:
- Provide our members with educational content around health and race curated by our team of researchers.
- Put in place more inclusive study opportunities for members to participate in.
- Do our part as a research company to participate in inclusive clinical research practices to ensure diverse and generalizable results through diverse participant recruitment and participation.
- Hold ourselves accountable by reporting our progress out to our members.
We’re committed to supporting long-term systematic change and stand in solidarity with our Black teammates, Evidation Members, and the entire Black community. We know this is only the beginning of the conversation, and we need to continue to fight for equality. We’ll continue to listen, educate ourselves, take action, hold ourselves accountable, and pledge to do our best to support all communities to participate in better health outcomes.
An immediate change we’re pleased to share is that Evidation Members can now donate their rewards to these charities:
American Civil Liberties Union
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