
About two-thirds (59%) of American adults polled in a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation said they had no intention of getting a seasonal COVID-19 vaccine for the upcoming cold and flu season.
Of the adults polled, 23% said they will “probably not” get the vaccine, while 37% said they will “definitely not” get the shot. Earlier this year the Trump administration and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. made sweeping changes to COVID-19 vaccine policy, with a seasonal booster no longer recommended for children, pregnant women, and adults with no underlying health conditions.
Sharp political divide noted
There was a distinct political divide among poll respondents, with Democrats and Republicans sharply divided on the question of whether Kennedy’s vaccine changes, including his replacement of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) vaccine advisory committee members, will make the nation safer.
About two in ten adults, including 41% of Republicans, think these changes will make people safer while about one-third of adults, including most Democrats (62%) and four in ten independents (41%) say they will make people less safe.
“About two in ten adults, including 41% of Republicans, think these changes will make people safer while about one-third of adults, including most Democrats (62%) and four in ten independents (41%) say they will make people less safe,” KFF said. Sixty percent of Republicans said they will not get the COVID-19 vaccine this Fall.
Thirty-one percent of respondents said they did not know if the changes will make the nation safer. And only 49% of poll respondents said they trust the Food and Drug Administration or the CDC to make sure vaccines are safe.
A less noticeable divide was seen among racial and ethnic groups. Four in 10 Black adults and Hispanic adults say they plan to get the COVID-19 vaccine, as do 37% of white adults.