New Gallup poll on vaccine confidence sparks conversation

Regionally, back-to-school vaccinations, declining immunization rates, and the Oregon measles outbreak dominated conversations.

Years of false claims and fearmongering about routine vaccines have led to a rise in vaccine hesitancy and a decline in trust in immunizations. A new Gallup poll released this week found that only four in 10 parents consider routine childhood vaccines “extremely important,” marking a sharp decline over the last two decades. The decreasing confidence in vaccines is evident in recent online conversations about new and pipeline vaccines, which are frequently derailed by conspiracy theories and myths about the vaccines’ safety and the motives of vaccine developers and regulators. Even seemingly good-faith vaccine conversations were a source of misleading claims this week.

Regionally, back-to-school vaccinations, declining immunization rates, and the Oregon measles outbreak dominated online conversations.  

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What’s trending nationally in vaccine conversation:

A July Gallup poll, released this week, found that only 40 percent of U.S. parents feel that getting their children vaccinated is “extremely important,” down from 64 percent in 2001 and 58 percent in 2019. Right-leaning parents make up the bulk of the decline, with only 26 percent considering childhood vaccination extremely important compared to 63 percent of left-leaning parents. Notably, this divergence predates the pandemic, but the gap in vaccine confidence widened dramatically after 2019. The poll also found that 20 percent of Americans, including nearly a third of Republicans, believe that vaccines are more dangerous than the disease they protect against. Only 6 percent of Republicans held that view in 2001. In response to news coverage of the poll, social media users argued that children receive too many vaccines and expressed general distrust for pharmaceutical companies and government regulators. 

Vaccine opponents are sharing a recent video of the CDC director encouraging all eligible people to get the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 and flu vaccines when available. Some posts criticize the recommendation that pregnant people be vaccinated, with one post calling the message “a nightmare the public is not waking up from.” Meanwhile, a screenshot of a headline from a conspiracy news site is circulating across platforms with the false claim that the pediatric RSV immunization nirsevimab is deadly. The posts falsely claim that the immunization killed a dozen children in a clinical trial. One popular post suggested that parents “just say no” to RSV immunization.

An August 5 social media post with over 58,000 engagements and 1.3 million views claims to have received confirmation of a combination flu and COVID-19 vaccine that’s expected to be available by the end of September. The post, which does not provide any source for the claim, received responses mocking the need for additional vaccines, doubting the alleged vaccine’s safety, and claiming that COVID-19 vaccines cause blood clots. Some responses expressed excitement about the prospect of a combined vaccine and confusion about when the vaccine would be available, while others appeared to prefer separate vaccines. A few users corrected the original post, noting that no combined vaccines are expected to be available this fall.

Read the fact checks: 

• Stanford Medicine: Why Childhood Immunizations Are Important - Stanford Medicine Children’s Health 
• AOL: Updated COVID vaccines will be available this fall. Here’s what to know
• AP News: Posts mislead on clinical trial deaths to suggest new RSV drug for babies isn’t safe

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What’s happening in the Northeast:

Maryland’s first lady partnered with the state health department to launch Partners in Protection, a back-to-school vaccination campaign that encourages parents to make sure their children have up-to-date vaccinations in the new school year. The campaign is part of a broader initiative to improve immunization rates among the greater Michigan community. In response, some social media users supported the campaign, while others encouraged parents to “do their own research,” or warned them not to subject their children to “poison.” 

What’s happening in the South:

So-called health freedom groups in Southern states are targeting school-based health centers, cautioning parents to read consent forms before signing them. A photo of a form from a Louisiana school-based health center is circulating on social media because it includes immunizations in its list of services. Health freedom groups and social media users seem to falsely believe that signing the forms will allow children to be vaccinated without parental consent. However, the purpose of the form is to ensure that parents are informed of the services provided by the health center before they consent. Some posts reference the new Louisiana law prohibiting COVID-19 vaccine requirements for enrollment in Louisiana schools and universities.

What’s happening in the Midwest:

A recent local news story describes a drop in vaccination rates among children aged 19 months to 35 months in Michigan. The story received comments praising parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, commending them for “doing their research.” Other commenters question the safety of immunizations and state that they have lost trust in public health officials and others who encourage vaccination. Some social media users shared their own anecdotes of being pressured to vaccinate and later regretting the choice due to side effects.

What’s happening in the West:

Oregon is experiencing its largest measles outbreak since 2019, coinciding with students’ return to school. The state health authority reports that, as of August 12, 28 cases have been reported, all in people who are unvaccinated. State data reveals a drop in the number of children who are up to date on their vaccinations since 2020. The news has been widely circulated on social media, with some responses stating they aren’t surprised due to the rise in vaccine opposition. One post falsely claims that the fact that only unvaccinated people are affected by the current outbreak suggests that they are being “targeted.”

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Talking points for public health professionals 

Each week, the Infodemiology.com team will provide messaging recommendations in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. Use these helpful tips when creating content, updating web pages and FAQs, and to inform strategy for messaging about vaccines.

The rise in vaccine hesitancy since 2020 underscores the effectiveness of anti-vaccine narratives and increases the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. Talking points may emphasize that vaccines have spared generations of children from debilitating and life-threatening illnesses. Messaging may also highlight the impact of childhood vaccines, which the CDC estimates to have prevented 500 million illnesses, 1 million deaths, and over $500 billion in health care costs since 1994. 

Vaccine opponents take advantage of legitimate concerns about new immunizations to sow doubt and discourage parents and pregnant people from accepting new vaccines. Debunking messaging may highlight the wealth of research showing there is no increased risk of complications or negative pregnancy outcomes following COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, messaging may emphasize that pediatric RSV immunizations are safe and that claims doubting their safety are based on misrepresentations of clinical trial data. Immunization provides strong protection against RSV in infants and young children, who are at the highest risk of the disease.

Recent online conversations underscore that vaccine supporters can sometimes be a source of vaccine confusion when they share misleading information. Consider addressing this confusion by explaining that late-stage clinical trial data indicates that combination vaccines are unlikely to be available before 2025 at the earliest. Messaging may emphasize that updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 and flu vaccines will continue to provide protection against COVID-19 and flu for people 6 months and older.

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