Most US adults support vaccines but aren’t sure of which ones to receive, with less than half getting immunized against influenza, COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or pneumococcal disease in the past year and one in five reporting a problem when they tried to get vaccinated, a National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) survey finds.
The NFID released the survey results at its Annual Respiratory Season Kick-Off in Washington, DC, last week. At the same time, the organization launched its National Respiratory Communications Initiative (NRCI), which aims to disseminate clear, consistent, evidence-based recommendations for vaccines against respiratory diseases.
In total, 1,206 adults nationwide completed the survey, which was conducted from August 13 to 17.
“Uptake of respiratory vaccines remains suboptimal and may be influenced by factors including uncertainty about personal recommendations, limited understanding of disease burden, and challenges accessing vaccination,” the authors wrote.
The survey comes several weeks after multiple organizations, including the Vaccine Integrity Project and the American Medical Association, announced their review of the safety and effectiveness of COVID, flu, and RSV vaccines.
9 in 10 people say those who want vaccines should have them
Key survey findings were:
- 89% agree that anyone who wants a vaccine should be able to get one
- 77% agree that vaccines are among the best and most proven ways to protect against serious infectious diseases
- 71% agree that vaccine benefits strongly outweigh the risks
- 55% said they first seek accurate vaccine information from a healthcare professional
- 48% tried to receive at least one of the flu, COVID-19, RSV, or pneumococcal vaccines in the past year
- 47% correctly identified RSV as the leading cause of hospitalization among infants
- 44% tried to get a flu vaccine, compared with 23% for a COVID vaccine, in the past year
- Despite medical society recommendations for the flu and COVID vaccines for adults, 49% said that the COVID vaccine isn’t recommended for them or that they didn’t know whether it was recommended, and 28% said the same for the flu vaccine
- 22% said they tried to receive at least one respiratory vaccine but faced a problem such as a lack of availability or long wait time, most often among those seeking pneumococcal (27%) or RSV vaccination (23%)
- 11% selected a 2024-25 flu-related hospitalization rate range close to the 710,000 estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and half chose a range below 400,000
“Vaccination remains a safe and effective way to lower our risk of serious illness,” Margot Savoy, MD, MPH, chief medical officer at the American Academy of Family Physicians, said in an NFID news release. “They help us look out for babies, people with weakened immune systems and older or medically frail adults who are at greater risk of serious illness.”
Identifying barriers to access
The authors listed five communications- and access-related lessons from the survey:
- General support of vaccines may alone not be enough to help people determine which vaccines are appropriate for them and take the next step
- Educating people about which vaccines are appropriate for them—as well as the potential risks of respiratory diseases—may help people better understand their vaccination needs
- Ensuring that clinicians have the resources they need to communicate clear, consistent guidance may enable better vaccine decision-making
- Communications resources and decision-support tools may have the most practical value when they are provided where people seek vaccination
- Identifying barriers that may disrupt the vaccination process—such as uncertainty, availability, scheduling, cost, and coverage—may be valuable
