Survey Data on Vaccines

Survey data and polling trends on public attitudes toward vaccines. All data is sourced from peer-reviewed polling firms and academic institutions.

About This Page

This page tracks public opinion polling on vaccines and vaccination policy from major survey organizations. All data is sourced from peer-reviewed polling firms or academic institutions. We present findings across the political and demographic spectrum without editorial interpretation.

Polling data reflects attitudes at a point in time and may shift following major health events, policy changes, or media coverage.

U.S. Vaccine Confidence Trends

Key findings from major U.S. polling organizations:

Gallup (2023)

88% of U.S. adults believe vaccines are important for children's health, down from 94% in 2019.

KFF (2023)

74% of adults report being vaccinated against COVID-19. Confidence in routine childhood vaccines remains above 85%.

AP-NORC (2023)

71% of U.S. adults say the benefits of childhood vaccines outweigh the risks. 18% say risks and benefits are about equal. 9% say risks outweigh benefits.

Pew (2023)

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are less likely than Democrats to say childhood vaccines are very important (66% vs. 87%). This partisan gap has widened since 2019.

IPSOS (2023)

65% of Americans say they trust health authorities like the CDC on vaccine safety information, down from 79% in 2021.

Who Holds Vaccine-Skeptical Views?

Polling consistently identifies several demographic patterns:

Age

Adults under 35 show lower confidence in routine childhood vaccine schedules than adults over 55, reversing the pattern seen before 2020.

Education

College-educated adults show higher confidence in vaccine safety overall, though vaccine hesitancy exists across all education levels.

Political Affiliation

The largest and most consistent predictor of vaccine attitudes in recent U.S. polling is political identification. Since 2021, Republicans report significantly lower confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and federal health agencies than Democrats.

Geography

Rural Americans report lower vaccination rates and higher hesitancy than urban counterparts across multiple surveys.

Global Vaccine Confidence

Wellcome Trust Global Monitor (2018, 143 countries)

79% of people globally agree vaccines are safe; 84% agree they are effective. Western Europe showed the lowest confidence — France recorded the highest vaccine skepticism of any country surveyed.

WHO/UNICEF (2023)

Global childhood immunization coverage recovered to 84% following COVID-era disruptions, but remains below the 86% pre-pandemic level.

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC, 2022)

Vaccine hesitancy varies widely across EU member states. Romania, Bulgaria, and Croatia report the highest hesitancy for routine childhood vaccines among EU countries.

How to Read Polling Data

Polling on vaccines is subject to several methodological considerations readers should be aware of:

Question wording matters

Small differences in how questions are framed ("safe and effective" vs. "risks and benefits") can significantly affect reported attitudes.

Sampling methods vary

Online panels, telephone surveys, and probability-based samples yield different results. Probability-based samples (like KFF and AP-NORC) are generally considered more representative.

Timing effects

Polling conducted immediately following a major adverse event report or a high-profile media story often shows temporary shifts in confidence that revert over time.

Self-reporting vs. behavior

Stated vaccine intentions consistently overestimate actual uptake rates in multiple studies.

Sources & Citations

•Gallup. "Vaccines." Gallup.com, 2023.
•KFF. "KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor." kff.org, 2023.
•AP-NORC Center. "Childhood Immunizations." apnorc.org, 2023.
•Pew Research Center. "Childhood Vaccines: Public Opinion." pewresearch.org, 2023.
•IPSOS. "Trust in Health Authorities." ipsos.com, 2023.
•Wellcome Trust. "Wellcome Global Monitor 2018." wellcome.org.
•WHO/UNICEF. "Global Immunization Coverage." who.int, 2023.