Not long ago, vaccines had largely bipartisan support. But they have become a divisive issue in the U.S., fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic and political policies that are increasingly questioning the safety and need for them.
A new survey conducted by Pew Research Center highlights some of the biggest issues in the ongoing controversy over vaccines—and shows that politics continues to have an outsized influence on how people think about and make decisions about getting immunized.
The survey asked more than 5,000 people a series of questions about vaccines, including whether they were planning to get the newest COVID-19 shot and how safe and effective they believe childhood vaccines are. It’s been a confusing year for shots; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed its recommendations for the COVID-19 vaccine from getting one yearly (like you would the flu vaccine) to no longer recommending it for most healthy Americans. The agency continues to advise people who are older and those with weaker immune systems to get the annual vaccine.
The survey revealed that 44% of Americans, however, were not aware of the CDC’s change in the COVID-19 guidelines, 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 the latest shot. Most Americans—59%—said they did not want to get the latest COVID-19 vaccine. That percentage is about the same as last year, another indication that the changing policies are not having much traction among the public. “It’s a reality check about what isn’t breaking through [about vaccine recommendations],” says Eileen Yam, managing director of science and society research at Pew.
Among those who don’t plan to get the latest COVID-19 shot, there is a sharp political divide. About 83% of people who identified as Republicans or leaning Republican said they don’t want to get the shot, compared to 44% of Democrats.
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That difference in vaccine attitudes by political affiliation was more pronounced than ever, says Yam. It’s a trend that began during the pandemic and continues to grow stronger. “It wasn’t always this way,” she says, especially around childhood vaccines, which most people in both parties have historically supported. “Since the pandemic, we’ve seen a really big dropoff among Republicans” for supporting all vaccines—not just the COVID shot, but even routine childhood immunizations, she says.
One big reason for the divide that could be related to mandates for routine immunizations—specifically childhood vaccinations—to attend school. Though even Republicans support for vaccine safety and effectiveness—78% of Republicans and 92% of Democrats, for example, say that the protective benefits of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine outweigh any risks associated with the shot—support for school vaccine mandates has plummeted. Among Republicans, just 52% supported school requirements for MMR, compared to 79% in 2019.
Democrats and Republicans have differing views on who should be making decisions about getting vaccines. Democrats are more likely to want medical scientists to have a major role in recommendations, while more Republicans believe parents should have the greater role. That’s reflected in the fact that Republicans agreed that vaccines protect not only individuals but the community as well, even as they feel they should not be required by any entity—whether the federal government or schools. “It boils down to who gets to decide,” says Yam.
The findings therefore hint at possible ways to find common ground among people with differing vaccine views.
“We need to look under the hood where there might be differences in people’s confidence in vaccine measures,” says Yam. “Having a finger on the pulse of what policy measures resonate or not in different pockets of the country is something both policymakers and health communicators need to keep in mind in any conversations about vaccines,” she says.
