A growing proportion of Americans believe COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and are unwilling to be vaccinated or to recommend it to others, according to the latest national health survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
The findings from the third Annenberg Science and Public Health (ASAPH) knowledge survey are based on responses from 20 survey waves of a nationally representative sample of 1,496 adults empaneled in April 2021. The July 2024 survey was conducted amid the ongoing surge of US COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and before last week's Food and Drug Administration approval of updated COVID-19 vaccines.
False beliefs proliferate
As of July, 28% of survey respondents mistakenly believed that COVID-19 vaccines have caused thousands of deaths, up from 22% in June 2021, while the proportion who know this is untrue fell from 66% to 55% over the same period.
Twenty-two percent of Americans believe the falsity that it's less risky to get infected with COVID-19 than to get the vaccine, more than double the 10% with the belief in the months following the 2021 vaccine rollout. The proportion of respondents who mistakenly think that COVID-19 vaccines change human DNA reached 15%, nearly double the 8% who believed it in 2021.
"Belief in these three misconceptions is associated with increased reluctance to vaccinate," Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of both Annenberg and the survey, said in an Annenberg news release. "With the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] reporting that COVID-19 infection remains an ongoing threat and [with] an updated vaccine available, now is the time to ramp up awareness both of the value of vaccinating against COVID-19 and of the risks of contracting the disease."
Few remain concerned about infection
As of July, only 20% of those surveyed were somewhat or very worried that they or a family member will contract COVID-19, down from 25% in February 2024 and 35% in October 2023. In February 2024, 44% of respondents said they were "somewhat likely" or "very likely" to get a yearly COVID-19 vaccine if the CDC recommended it, a drop from 52% in June 2023.
While 66% of respondents said in July that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the risks, higher proportions believe that is true for other vaccines (70% for mpox vaccine in July; 74% for respiratory syncytial virus [RSV] vaccine for adults 60 and older in October 2023, and 89% for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine in August 2023).
As of July, only 20% of those surveyed were somewhat or very worried that they or a family member will contract COVID-19, down from 25% in February 2024 and 35% in October 2023.
In October 2023, fewer Americans said they thought COVID-19 vaccines were safe (66%) and effective (65%) than thought the same about other vaccines: MMR (81% safe, 83% effective), flu (81%, 75%), shingles (78%, 73%), and pneumonia (74%, 69%).
In July, 49% of participants said they would likely receive a combined single-shot mRNA vaccine to protect against COVID-19, flu, and RSV, if one were developed and the CDC recommended it, while 27% said they would be "not at all likely" to get the vaccine.
Lower flu shot uptake, more doubt about efficacy
In February 2024, 45% of respondents said they received a seasonal flu shot, compared with 50% in January 2023, findings that align with CDC data showing flu vaccine uptake of 47% in January 2024, down from 50% in December 2022. Likewise, 55% of adults say they would likely recommend that an older family member or friend discuss the RSV vaccine with their clinician, a decrease from 61% in August 2023.
The skepticism extends to other vaccines as well, with 32% unsure of the effectiveness of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine aimed at young people, 23% uncertain about the pneumonia vaccine, 19% doubting the shingles vaccine, and 47% unsure about the RSV vaccine during pregnancy or at age 60 and older (37%).
A promising finding was increasing knowledge about vaccinations recommended for pregnant women. From June 2023 to April 2024, a greater proportion of respondents knew that the CDC recommends vaccination against seasonal flu (50%), COVID-19 (43%), and pertussis (whooping cough; 35%) for pregnant women. Of all participants, 39% and 43% were aware that the CDC doesn't recommend receiving the MMR or chickenpox vaccine while pregnant.
