KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor

The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor dashboard provides an overview of the findings on several key topics highlighted below

Parents and kids
  • One In Five Parents Of Children Under Age Five Say Their Child Has Gotten Vaccinated Or Will Get It ASAP, Almost Half Say They "Definitely" Won't Get It

    About one in seven (16%) parents of children ages 6 months through 4 years old now say their child has gotten vaccinated for COVID-19, steady since September, but up from July. Few remaining parents of children in this age range (5%) say they plan to vaccinate their children “right away,” while 14% say they want to “wait and see” and another 20% of parents of young children will get them vaccinated “only if required” for school or other activities. Less than half (45%) of parents of children ages 6 months through 4 years old say they will “definitely not” get their child vaccinated for COVID-19. The share who say they will “definitely not” get their young child vaccinated for COVID-19 has increased from surveys taken earlier this year, when the vaccines were not yet available.

  • Almost Half Of Parents Of Kids Ages 5-11 Say Their Child Has Been Vaccinated

    Reported vaccine uptake among children ages 5-11 has slowed slightly in recent months. Almost half of parents of kids ages 5-11 now report their child has gotten vaccinated (46%), continuing to tick up from earlier in the year. Just 2% of parents now say they will get their child vaccinated right away, and another 9% of parents of 5-11 year-olds still want to “wait and see.”

    The share who say they will get their 5-11 year-old vaccinated “only if required” (8%) or will “definitely not” get them vaccinated (35%) has held steady over the past few months.

  • Reported Vaccination Rates For Teenagers Remain Steady, A Third Of Parents Say Their Child Won't Get The COVID-19 Vaccine

    Parents’ intentions to vaccinate their older children have remained relatively steady since the start of the year. Almost six in ten parents of teenagers, ages 12-17, say their child has been vaccinated (62%), with very few parents who say they want to “wait and see” before deciding (2%). Around three in ten parents of 12-17 year-olds say they will definitely not get their child vaccinated (31%) while a further 5% say they will only do so if they are required.

  • Fewer Than Half Of Parents Of Children Between The Ages of 12-17 And 5-11 Say Their Child Has Gotten The Updated Booster Or Will Likely Do So

    About one in four parents of teenagers ages 12 to 17 say their child has already gotten the updated COVID-19 booster (16%) or that they will definitely be doing so (8%). A further 18% say their teen will probably get the update booster. Notably, about four in ten parents of teenagers say their 12-17 year old is not vaccinated for COVID-19 and therefore not eligible to get the updated bivalent booster.

    Among parents of younger children between the ages of 5 and 11, six in ten (61%) say their child is unvaccinated and therefore not eligible for the new COVID-19 booter. About one in five parents say their 5 to 11 year old has either gotten the updated booster (14%) or will definitely be doing so (7%), while a further 9% say their child will probably get the updated booster.

Equity
(mis)Information and trust
Masking and other precautions
IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC
government and mandates
VaccineS AND BOOSTERS
  • Bivalent Booster Uptake Up Slightly Since December

    Although about half of adults (46%) say they are taking at least some protective measures given the news of COVID-19, RSV, and the flu spreading in the U.S. this winter, a smaller share of adults are doing the thing public officials are emphasizing the most: getting the updated bivalent booster. About four in ten adults say they have either received the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster dose (28%) or that they plan to get it “as soon as possible” (14%). In a slight uptick from last month’s Covid Vaccine Monitor, nearly three in ten (28%) adults now say they have already gotten the updated booster, up from 22% in December. Still, about one in ten adults say they want to “wait and see” before getting the updated shot (12%), and the same share (12%) says they will get it “only if required.” A further 11% say they will “definitely not” get the updated booster and about one in five (22%) adults are not eligible for the updated dose since they are unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated.

  • Bivalent Booster Uptake Highest Among Seniors, Democrats, and Immunocompromised Adults

    Nearly half (47%) of adults ages 65 and older say they have already gotten the updated bivalent booster, and a further one in ten (12%) say they plan to get it “as soon as possible.” Though relatively few (3%) say they will only get the updated vaccine if required, a further one in five adults 65 and older say either say they will “definitely not” get the updated booster (12%) or remain ineligible to receive it (11%), leaving a sizeable share of this vulnerable group without the protection of the vaccine.

  • Across Age Groups, Most Adults Cite Not Thinking They Need The New Booster As Primary Reason They Have Not Received It

    Adults who are vaccinated but have not yet received the updated bivalent booster cite a range of reasons for why they have not yet done so. About half (51%) say they feel they have enough protection from their initial COVID-19 vaccine or a prior infection of the virus, and about four in ten (44%) say they don’t think they need the new booster. Reflecting that there is still some interest in getting an updated dose, about three in ten (29%) say they are "too busy” or “have not had time to get it.” Other less frequently cited reasons include the nearly one in five (19%) of adults who say they had bad side effects from a previous COVID-19 dose, or they cannot afford to take time off work to get the booster or deal with the side effects of the vaccine (15%). Similar shares say they have not gotten an updated bivalent booster because they think “COVID is over” (15%), while about one in ten (12%) say they are not sure how or where to get the booster.

  • Large Shares Across Partisans Question The Value Of The Updated COVID-19 Booster

    The top reasons given by those eligible for the new booster who have not yet gotten it are similar across partisans, but the share who say each reason varies. Majorities of Republicans or Republican-leaning independents say they have not gotten the booster because they feel they have enough protection from a previous dose or infection (62%), or they don’t think they need it (56%). These are also the top reasons given by Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, but four in ten of this group (43%) say they feel they have enough protection and about one in three (34%) say they don’t think they need the new booster. Other reasons are more frequently mentioned by Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents than Republicans, including being too busy or not having time (37% vs. 17%), that they can’t afford to take time off work to get the booster or deal with side effects (19% vs. 10%), or they are not sure how or where to get the booster (15% vs. 6%). Notably, one-fourth (27%) of Republicans say they have not gotten a booster because they think “COVID is over.”

  • More Than Half Of Adults Who Have Gotten The Bivalent Booster Are Waiting For The CDC To Update Guidelines So They Can Get Another Shot

    The January COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey finds many who have already received the new booster are now eagerly awaiting guidance from the CDC about when they can be eligible for another shot. More than half (54%) of adults who have received the bivalent booster say they are waiting on the CDC to issue new guidelines so they can be eligible for another booster. Overall, 15% of U.S. adults say they are waiting on the CDC to issue new guidelines.

  • More Than Four In Five Adults Who Have Received The Bivalent Booster Say Getting Another Booster Is Important

    When asked about getting another booster shot in the future, the vast majority of adults (86%) who have already gotten the bivalent booster say it’s important, including more than one-third (37%) who say it is a “top priority” and half (49%) who say it is “important but not a top priority.” A further one in ten (10%) say it is “not too important,” while 3% say it is something they don’t plan to do.

 

KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor is an ongoing research project tracking the public’s attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations. Using a combination of surveys and qualitative research, the Monitor tracks the dynamic nature of public opinion as vaccine development and distribution unfold, including vaccine confidence and acceptance, information needs, trusted messengers and messages, as well as the public’s experiences with vaccination. A list of all Vaccine Monitor reports is available here.

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