More in U.S. accept COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, and willingness to vaccinate has declined

With the nation within the midst of a summer season surge of COVID-19 infections and elevated hospitalizations as a result of illness, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) final week permitted up to date COVID vaccines to guard Americans six months and older towards the lethal virus. But Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) well being survey knowledge finds that the variety of Americans believing COVID-19 vaccination misinformation has risen and their willingness to take or suggest vaccination towards COVID-19 is decrease than prior to now.

The 2024 waves of the Annenberg Science and Public Health (ASAPH) data survey, a nationally consultant panel survey of practically 1,500 U.S. adults, counsel that many could also be reluctant to get the up to date vaccine.

Greater acceptance of COVID vaccine misinformation

. As of July 2024:

• Over 1 / 4 of Americans (28%) incorrectly imagine that the COVID-19 vaccines have been accountable for 1000’s of deaths, up from 22% in June 2021. The share who know that that is false declined from 66% to 55%.
• Over one in 5 Americans (22%) imagine the false concept that it’s safer to get a COVID-19 an infection than to get the vaccine, up from 10% in April 2021, months after the life-saving vaccines had been launched.
• The share of Americans who incorrectly imagine that the COVID-19 vaccine modifications folks’s DNA practically doubled to fifteen% from 8% in April 2021.

“Belief in these three misconceptions is related to elevated reluctance to vaccinate,” mentioned Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and director of the survey.

The coverage heart’s ASAPH surveys additionally discover:

• Relatively few are apprehensive: Only 1 in 5 folks (20%, July 2024) are considerably or very apprehensive they or somebody of their household will contract COVID, down from 25% in February 2024 and 35% in October 2023.

• Decreased curiosity: Under half of these surveyed (44%) mentioned in February 2024 they’re “considerably doubtless” or “very doubtless” to get a yearly COVID-19 vaccine if it is strongly recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), down from 52% in June 2023.

• Benefits vs. dangers: Two-thirds of Americans (66% in July 2024) say the advantages of taking COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the dangers—however that’s decrease than the share who say the advantages outweigh the dangers for the mpox vaccine (70% in July 2024), RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine for adults 60 and older (74% in October 2023), and MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine (89% in August 2023).
• COVID-19 vaccines are seen as much less protected and efficient than others: As of our October 2023 survey, fewer folks regard COVID-19 vaccines as protected (66%) and efficient (65%) than a wide range of different vaccines: MMR (81% protected, 83% efficient); flu (81% protected, 75% efficient); shingles (78% protected, 73% efficient) or pneumonia (74% protected, 69% efficient).

• A hypothetical trivalent vaccine: In July 2024, lower than half of these surveyed (49%) can be prone to take a mixed single-shot mRNA vaccine to guard towards flu, RSV, and COVID-19 if one existed and the CDC advisable it. At the identical time, 27% say they might be “by no means doubtless” to take such a single-shot mRNA vaccine.

“With the CDC reporting that COVID-19 an infection stays an ongoing risk and an up to date vaccine obtainable, now could be the time to ramp up consciousness each of the worth of vaccinating towards COVID-19 and of the dangers of contracting the illness,” Jamieson added.

The ASAPH report

The findings on COVID-19 misinformation and vaccination, measles, mpox, local weather well being and confidence in public well being establishments are reported in the summertime 2024 Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge Monitor, obtainable as a free obtain from the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

The science and well being monitor contains survey studies that monitor nationwide ranges of well being data and misinformation over time. Building on the Annenberg Science Knowledge (ASK) surveys, which since 2016 have been centered on well being data and misinformation about matters such because the Zika virus, measles, COVID-19 and vaccination, the Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge Monitor (ASAPH) generates indices of information about such very important well being matters as maternal and reproductive well being, vaccination, COVID-19, monkeypox, and heat-related sickness. It additionally gives an ongoing measure of public confidence within the CDC, FDA, and National Institutes of Health (NIH).

This third ASAPH report relies on 20 survey waves with a nationally consultant pattern first empaneled in April 2021, carried out for APPC by SSRS, an impartial market analysis firm. The twentieth wave, with 1,496 U.S. adults, was carried out July 11-18, 2024, and has a margin of sampling error (MOE) of ± 3.6 share factors on the 95% confidence degree. Some findings had been beforehand launched.

Additional findings

The newest ASAPH report additionally contains findings on:

• Declining flu vaccination: Fewer folks say they’ve had a seasonal flu shot. In mid-February 2024 on the finish of flu season, 45% reported having had a seasonal flu shot, in contrast with 50% in January 2023. These figures are typically in keeping with CDC knowledge, which reveals a decline in flu vaccination protection to 47% in January 2024 from 50% in December 2022.

• Decline in RSV vaccine acceptance for older adults: Just over half of these surveyed (55%) can be prone to suggest {that a} good friend or member of the family age 60 or older speak with their well being care supplier about whether or not to get the RSV vaccine, down from 61% in August 2023.

• Many not sure of vaccines’ effectiveness: Sizable numbers of respondents in 2022 and 2023 are not sure of the effectiveness of varied vaccines directed at particular populations (32% are usually not positive in regards to the vaccine for HPV, or human papillomavirus, aimed toward younger folks; 23% for pneumonia and 19% for shingles, each for ailments affecting older folks) and of the efficacy of getting vaccinated towards RSV throughout being pregnant (47%) or when one is over 60 years outdated (37%).

• Knowledge about vaccination advisable for individuals who are pregnant: From June 2023 to April 2024, respondents elevated their understanding of which vaccinations the CDC recommends throughout being pregnant. In April 2024, many knew that the CDC recommends getting vaccinated whereas pregnant towards the seasonal flu (50%), COVID-19 (43%), and whooping cough (35%). Respondents had been comparably conscious of which vaccines the CDC doesn’t suggest getting whereas pregnant: measles (MMR, 39%) and chickenpox (43%).