U.S. Belief in Vaccines Continues to Fall

A new survey from Gallup suggests a portion of Americans are still hesitant when it comes to vaccinating children, with only 84 percent of respondents stating they believe vaccinations are very important in 2019.

This number has declined drastically since Gallup’s first vaccine poll in 2001, which showed 94 percent of respondents believe vaccinations for children are very important. However, the second vaccine poll in 2015 showed the 10 percent decline where it remains today.

The 2019 survey also showed that 11 percent of respondents believe vaccines are more dangerous than the disease they are designed to prevent, with increased numbers correlating with less education, ages 30-64 and Americans with children under 18.

One of the more surprising statistics from the study showed that 46 percent of respondents were unsure whether vaccines cause autism in children. While the science is clear that vaccines are safe, this high number of uncertain Americans suggests that misinformation campaigns are still having a significant effect on people’s perception of vaccines.