Infographic – More US Support for Childhood Vaccines Than Covid-19

Click on image for full-size view (Pew Research Center)

27 May 2023. A recent poll shows U.S. adults continue to favor vaccinations against the childhood diseases mumps, measles, and rubella, but show less support for Covid-19 vaccines. The Pew Research Center reported the findings last week from a survey conducted in March 2023.

In three surveys since June 2016, Pew researchers find some nine in 10 Americans, 88 percent each time, say health benefits of the mumps, measles, and rubella or MMR vaccine outweigh the risks. In those same polls, between seven and eight in 10 Americans rate the MMR vaccine’s health benefits as high, while roughly two-thirds, between 64 and 69 percent, say the risks of that vaccine are low.

But for the Covid-19 vaccine, opinion in the U.S. is more divided. Roughly six in 10 Americans (62%) say benefits of the Covid-19 vaccines outweigh the risks, while more than one-third (36%) believe risks of that vaccine outweigh the benefits. Likewise less than half of American adults (45%) say preventive health benefits of the Covid-19 vaccine are high, and nearly as many, 41 percent, say risks of side effects are low.

While the American public is largely in favor of MMR vaccines for children, those not vaccinated against Covid-19 show less support. About three-quarters (74%) of respondents without a Covid-19 vaccine say MMR vaccine benefits outweigh the risks, compared to more than nine in 10 — 94 to 95 percent — of those with Covid-19 prime or booster shots. In addition, only about half of Americans without Covid-19 vaccines say MMR vaccines provide high health benefits, compared to roughly eight in 10 — 79 to 83 percent — of those with Covid-19 prime or booster vaccines.

Pew Research Center conducted the survey online with 10,701 U.S. adults taking part in the Center’s American Trends Panel from 13 to 19 Mar. 2023. Participants are recruited through national random sampling of U.S. households, with results weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population.

More from Science & Enterprise:

• Measles-Rubella Patch Vaccine Shown Effective as Injection
• Low-Dose Covid-19 Vaccine Generates Strong Immune Response
• Self-Applied Patch Shown Feasible for Vaccine Delivery

We designed Science & Enterprise for busy readers including investors, researchers, entrepreneurs, and students. Except for a narrow cookies and privacy strip for first-time visitors, we have no pop-ups blocking the entire page, nor distracting animated GIF graphics. If you want to subscribe for daily email alerts, you can do that here, or find the link in the upper left-hand corner of the desktop page. The site is free, with no paywall. But, of course, donations are gratefully accepted.

*     *     *