More Americans embrace COVID vax untruths: Poll
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Growing numbers of Americans are buying into misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, according to a new national survey, with more than one in five believing it's safer to get the virus than to get a shot.
Why it matters: Belief in misconceptions is stoking vaccine hesitancy with the nation facing a summer surge of infections, more COVID-related hospitalizations, and updated shots now reaching pharmacy shelves.
The big picture: The findings from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center are further evidence of how intense backlash to the government's at times muddled COVID response eroded trust in public health, jeopardizing preparedness efforts to address future crises.
- The proliferation of vaccine misinformation on social media has also outpaced efforts to counter it, Columbia University researchers found earlier this year.
What they found: 28% of respondents to Annenberg's survey incorrectly believe that COVID-19 vaccines have been responsible for thousands of deaths, up from 22% in June 2021. The percentage who know this is false declined to 55% from 66%.
- 22% believe the false idea that it's safer to get a COVID infection than to get the vaccine, up from 10% in April 2021, months after the shots were rolled out.
- The percent of those incorrectly believing that the COVID-19 vaccine changes people's DNA nearly doubled to 15% from 8% in April 2021.
Yes, but: Two-thirds of Americans still say the benefits of taking COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the risks. But that's a lower percentage than those who said the same for the mpox vaccine (70%), RSV shots for adults 60 and older (74% when asked in October 2023), and the childhood measles, mumps, rubella vaccine (89% in August 2023).
- Just under half of those surveyed said they'd likely take a combined mRNA vaccine to protect against flu, RSV, and COVID-19 if one were offered and the Centers for Disease Control recommended it.
- 27% say they would be "not at all likely" to take such a single-shot vaccine.
Between the lines: Previous polling has shown sizable numbers of Americans who believe COVID vaccine misinformation know they're at odds with scientists and medical experts, suggesting that educating people on the science behind vaccines won't change many minds.
- "A belief that persists across waves of a survey is probably less subject to change than a recently acquired one," said Annenberg Center director Kathleen Hall Jamieson.
- The current wave also isn't heightening concern about the virus itself, the survey found. Only one in five said they're somewhat or very worried that they or someone in their family will contract COVID, down from 25% in February and 35% in October 2023.
The survey of 1,496 adults was conducted July 11-18 and has a margin of sampling error ± 3.6% at the 95% confidence level.
