Vaccine Confidence Dips After COVID-19 Pandemic

A solid majority of Americans understand vaccines are safe and effective medicine for preventing disease or making it less harmful.

But credibility is slipping, according to a new study, “Vaccine Confidence Falls as Belief in Health Misinformation Grows.” It was published Nov. 1, 2023, by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

By now it’s no secret physicians, scientists, government leaders and others have worked to contain the explosion of misinformation about vaccine safety and effectiveness in the COVID-19 pandemic. But wrong information has taken root for some people.

“There are warning signs in these data that we ignore at our peril,” center and survey Director Kathleen Hall Jamieson said in a news release. “Growing numbers now distrust health-protecting, life-saving vaccines.”

This slideshow has highlights – or lowlights – from the survey conducted among more than 1,500 adults Oct. 5-12 this year.