Not long ago, vaccines had largely bipartisan support. But they have become a point of contention in the U.S., fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic and politics that increasingly question their safety and necessity.
new survey A study from the Pew Research Center highlights some of the biggest issues in the ongoing vaccine debate and shows that politics continues to have a huge impact on how people think and make decisions about getting vaccinated.
The survey asked more than 5,000 people several questions about vaccines, including whether they plan to get the latest COVID-19 shot and how safe and effective they think childhood vaccines are. It's been a confusing year for shots; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed my recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine, the vaccine should be given once a year (as if you were getting a flu vaccine) until it is no longer recommended for most healthy Americans. The agency continues to advise older adults and people with weaker immune systems to get vaccinated annually.
However, the poll found that 44% of Americans were unaware of the CDC's change in COVID-19 recommendations, and among those who were aware of the change, 63% said the new recommendations did not influence their decision about whether or not to get their latest shot. A majority of Americans — 59% — said they don't want to get the newest COVID-19 vaccine. That percentage is about the same as last year, another indication that the changing policies are not very popular among the public. “This is a reality check of what doesn’t break through [about vaccine recommendations]says Eileen Yam, managing director of science and public affairs research at Pew.
There is a sharp political divide among those who don't plan to get their final COVID-19 vaccine shot. About 83% of people who identify as Republicans or lean Republican said they are reluctant to get the vaccine, compared with 44% of Democrats.
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This difference in vaccine attitudes based on political affiliation was more pronounced than ever, Yam said. This trend began during the pandemic and continues to accelerate. “It hasn't always been this way,” she says, especially with regard to childhood vaccines, which have historically been supported by a majority of people in both parties. “Since the pandemic, we've seen a really significant decline among Republicans” in support for all vaccines — not just COVID shots, but even routine childhood immunizations, she says.
One of the main reasons for this split may have to do with mandatory routine vaccinations – especially for children – to attend school. While even Republicans support the vaccine's safety and effectiveness (78% of Republicans and 92% of Democrats, for example, say the protective benefits of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine outweigh any risks associated with the shot), support for school vaccination requirements has dropped sharply. Among Republicans, only 52% supported school requirements for the MMR vaccine, down from 79% in 2019.
Democrats and Republicans have different views on who should make decisions about vaccinations. Democrats are more likely to want medical scientists to play a major role in making recommendations, while more Republicans believe parents should play a larger role. This is reflected in the fact that Republicans have agreed that vaccines protect not only individuals but also society, although they believe they should not be required by any entity – be it the federal government or schools. “It comes down to who makes the decision,” Yam says.
The findings therefore hint at possible ways to find common ground among people with different views on vaccines.
“We need to look under the hood where there may be differences in people's confidence in vaccination efforts,” Yam says. “Keeping a finger on the pulse of what policies are or aren't resonating in different parts of the country is something that both policymakers and health communicators need to keep in mind in any conversation about vaccines,” she says.
