One year after becoming available, vaccines to protect against RSV in newborns and older adults are seeing broader acceptance by the American public, according to a new Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) health survey conducted in November. of 2024.
More than half of American adults (52%) believe that the vaccine given to pregnant women to protect their babies from RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) is effective, up from 42% in October 2023, shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to do so. recommended the vaccine. And 61% say the RSV vaccine for adults 60 and older is effective, up from 54% in October 2023.
The increase in the perceived effectiveness of the RSV vaccine comes even though there has been no sign to date of a feared “tripledemic,” the wave of flu, Covid-19 and RSV illnesses that filled emergency rooms. in the fall and winter of 2022. 23 and may have caused more than 100,000 deaths in the United States. As of December 20, 2024, CDC reports moderate overall levels of acute respiratory illness, although flu season is underway with levels increasing across the country, Covid-19 activity is increasing from low levels in some areas of the country and RSV activity is high and increasing in most areas of the US, especially in young children.
The surge also comes as several of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for health policy leadership positions have cast doubt on the efficacy and safety of the vaccines, notably Health and Human Services Secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has said “no.” “The vaccine” is safe and effective, and CDC chief candidate Dave Weldon, who, like Kennedy, has promoted the disproven link between vaccines and autism.
The APPC survey results are based on a nationally representative panel survey of 1,771 U.S. adults conducted November 14-24, 2024, and have a margin of error of ±3.3 percentage points. For more information about the survey, see the end of this press release or the first line.
Vaccine hesitancy may have stalled
Recent years have shown evidence of increased vaccine hesitancy. However, according to several measures from the November survey, including the VRS findings mentioned above, public acceptance of vaccination has increased slightly or remained stable:
- 86% of respondents say the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe, up from 81% in October 2023. The rebound brings it closer to 88% who perceived it as safe in August 2022 .
- 83% say the flu vaccine is safe, unchanged from October 2023.
- 65% say the Covid-19 vaccine is safe, unchanged from last fall.
- The perceived effectiveness of a variety of other vaccines has not changed since October 2023.
- More than three-quarters of the public would recommend various vaccines, where appropriate, to members of their families and households.
Furthermore, despite continued attacks on the safety and effectiveness of certain vaccines by some politicians, 9 in 10 respondents say it is important for parents to vaccinate their children: 72% say it is very or extremely important and 19% say it is something important. Only 10% say that it is not at all or unimportant for parents to vaccinate their children.
Flu vaccine versus Covid-19
In the survey, American adults find the seasonal flu vaccine more effective at reducing the risk of getting a severe case of the flu this season (75%) than the Covid booster at reducing the risk of getting a severe case of the flu. Covid this season. (55%). There has been a significant increase in understanding that the flu vaccine does not necessarily prevent a person exposed to the flu from getting sick, but it does make the infection less severe (54%, up from 48% in October 2023) . Fewer people say they are not sure what effect a flu vaccine has on a person who is then exposed to someone with the flu (14%, compared to 20%).
Data from November shows that fewer people have received or plan to receive the Covid booster vaccine, compared to the flu vaccine:
- Just over half of respondents (51%) have received the seasonal flu vaccine (40%) or say they are very likely to receive it (11%), compared to 38% who received the last booster dose of Covid-19 (29%). ) or say it is very likely that they will (9%).
- The most common reason people choose to explain why they have received the Covid booster and flu vaccine is to protect themselves against the disease (82% and 78%, respectively).
- More people report they get the flu shot because they “get it every year” (76%) than those who report they get the Covid booster shot because they “get one every time a new booster vaccine comes out” (51% ).
- 68% know they can receive a Covid booster dose and flu vaccine in the same visit to a healthcare clinic or pharmacy, unchanged from October 2023, although there is a significant increase in the number reporting that this is definitely true (44%, up from 38% in October 2023).
knowledge about flu
- Most people (80%) know that the effectiveness of the seasonal flu vaccine varies from year to year.
- Although most people (69%) think this year’s flu vaccine is effective in reducing the risk of getting the flu (unchanged from October 2023), more people think it is ineffective this fall (20%) than last fall (15%).
- In fact, early reports suggest that this seasonal flu vaccine may be less effective than last year’s: Based on reports from five South American countries, the CDC has affirmed the effectiveness of the seasonal flu vaccine in reducing the risk of hospitalization among high-risk groups. appears to be 35%, lower than the 51.9% seen in those countries last flu season, according to WebMD.
- 69% know there is value in getting a flu vaccine after November, but 19% are unsure.
- Most people (80%) know that it is possible to spread the flu to others even if they do not have symptoms, up from 76% in January 2023. (The CDC says some “people can become infected with flu viruses flu and have no symptoms. “But they can still spread the virus to close contacts.”)
- Most (71%) know that the flu vaccine is the best defense against seasonal flu.
- However, only 42% believe everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine, unchanged from last year.
Beliefs about the effectiveness and safety of vaccines
Long-established vaccines, such as MMR, polio, and Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis), are often the ones most valued by the public in terms of effectiveness, safety, and recommendations for others to get vaccinated. Newer vaccines, such as the Covid-19 vaccine or those for which public health recommendations have recently changed, such as the CDC’s recommendation that adults age 50 and older get vaccinated against pneumonia, are less familiar and They are often rated lower by the public.
Recommend vaccines. Here are the public’s opinions on recommending vaccines to others:
- MMR Vaccine: 90% would probably recommend an MMR vaccine for a child in their household who is 12-15 months or 4-6 years old.
- Polio Vaccine: 88% would probably recommend the polio vaccine to a child in their household aged 2 to 6 months.
- tdap Vaccine: 85% would probably recommend the Tdap vaccine to an 11- to 12-year-old child in their household or an adult in their family.
- Herpes Vaccine: 82% would likely recommend the shingles vaccine to someone over 50 in their family.
- HPV Vaccine: 79% would likely recommend an HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine for an 11- or 12-year-old child in their household.
- Pneumonia Vaccine: 77% would be likely to recommend a pneumonia vaccine to someone age 50 or older in their family, up from 84% who would be likely to recommend it to someone age 65 or older in their family in April 2022. The CDC recommended reduce the vaccine age on October 23, 2024, weeks before this survey was conducted.
Vaccine safety. Public opinions on vaccine safety:
- MMR: 86% say the MMR vaccine is safe, up from 81% in October 2023 (as noted above)
- Flu: 83% say the flu vaccine is safe and hasn’t changed
- COVID-19: 65% say the Covid-19 vaccine is safe, unchanged from October 2023 but down from 73% in August 2022.
Vaccine effectiveness. Public opinions on vaccine effectiveness remain stable with the exception of RSV, which increased as noted above. The following percentages considered these vaccines effective. The comparisons are until October 2023, if this question were asked then:
- MMR: 86% consider the vaccine to be effective (no changes)
- Polio: 85%
- tdap: 80%
- Flu: 75% (unchanged)
- Herpes: 74% (unchanged)
- Pneumonia: 71% (unchanged)
- HPV: 65% (unchanged)
- COVID-19: 65% (unchanged)
- RSV for adults 60 and older: 61%, up from 54% in October 2023
- RSV for pregnant people: 52%, up from 42% in October 2023
APPC Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge Survey
The survey data comes from the 22North Dakota wave of a nationally representative panel of 1,771 American adults conducted for the Annenberg Public Policy Center by SSRS, an independent market research firm. The majority have been selected since April 2021. To account for attrition, small replacement samples have been added over time using a random probability sampling design. The most recent replacement, in September 2024, added 360 respondents to the sample. This wave of the Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge (ASAPH) survey was conducted from November 14 to 24, 2024. The margin of sampling error (MOE) is ± 3.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. . All figures are rounded to the nearest whole number and cannot add up to 100%. Combined subcategories may not add to the totals in the top line and text due to rounding.