KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor

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

LATEST COVID-19 Vaccine
  • Democrats, Older Adults, College Graduates, Among Largest Shares To Have Ever Been Vaccinated

    The COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor finds that around three-quarters of adults say they have ever received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a share that continues to hold relatively steady since September 2021. Democrats (91%), older adults (91%), and college graduates (88%) continue to report the highest rates of vaccination. Those under the age of 65 without health insurance (61%) and Republicans (66%) continue to report lower COVID-19 vaccine uptake than their counterparts.

  • One In Five Adults Report Having Gotten The Updated COVID-19 Vaccine, Including Larger Shares Of Those Ages 65 And Older

    One in five (20%) adults now say they have received the new, updated COVID-19 vaccine that became available in September. An additional one in four adults say they will “definitely get” (13%) or “probably get” (15%) the updated shot. Consistent with demographic differences across other COVID-related behaviors, uptake is highest among those ages 65 and older (34%) and Democrats (32%). This is in comparison to smaller shares of younger adults ages 18-29 (18%), Republicans (12%) and independents (16%) who report getting the latest vaccine

Parents and kids
  • Teenagers Are Most Likely To Have Previously Gotten COVID-19 Vaccine, Smaller Shares Of Parents Of Younger Children

    The COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor has consistently shown COVID-19 vaccine uptake has been higher among older kids, with half of parents of teenagers saying their child has received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared to a quarter of parents of kids between 6 months and 4 years old, and two in five parents of kids between 5 and 11 years old.

  • Over Half Of Parents Say They Won't Get New COVID-19 Vaccine For Their Child

    The new version of the COVID-19 vaccine has been recommended for all children ages 6 months and older and unlike previous COVID-19 vaccines, most parents say they will either “probably not get” or “definitely not get” their child, regardless of age, vaccinated. Six in ten parents of teenagers (those between the ages of 12 and 17) say they will not get their child the new COVID-19 vaccine as do two-thirds of parents of children ages 5 to 11 (64%) and ages 6 months to 4 years old (66%).

  • Most Parents Understand Logistics Of Children's Vaccines, But Some Struggle Understanding Which Vaccines Their Children Should Get And The Costs

    Most parents report that it is easy to understand the logistics of their vaccinations, such as when and where to get the shots and why their child should get vaccinated. Nearly nine in ten (88%) parents say it is easy to know where to go to get their children vaccinated and about three-fourths of parents say the same about why their children should get vaccines in general (78%), when their child should get certain vaccines (77%), or which vaccines their child should get (73%). Two-thirds (68%) say it is easy for them to understand how much they have to pay out-of-pocket for their child’s vaccines. Most insurance coverages require no out-of-pocket costs for recommended vaccines for children.   

  • Large Majorities Of Parents, Regardless Of Partisanship, Keep Their Child's Vaccines Up-To-Date

    Adherence to recommended vaccines is higher among children than adults overall. Nine in ten parents say they normally keep their child or children up-to-date with recommended childhood vaccines, such as the MMR vaccine, while one in ten say they have delayed or skipped some of their child’s vaccines.
    Large majorities of parents, regardless of partisanship, race and ethnicity and income, say they keep their child up-to-date including nearly all Democratic and Democratic-leaning parents (97%) and about nine in ten Republican or Republican-leaning parents.

Partisanship & POLITICS
  • Six In Ten Adults Say They Will Get Annual Flu Shot, Including Eight In Ten Older Adults

    Six in ten adults (58%) say they will get a flu shot this year including 2% who say they have already gotten their flu shot. This includes eight in ten adults ages 65 and older, as well as three in four Democrats. Those who report normally getting a flu shot (53% of all adults) are nearly six times as likely as those who do not normally get a flu shot to say they will get it this year. About half of Republicans (51%) and independents (49%) say they will get their annual flu shot or have already gotten it.

  • Majorities Across Groups Are Confident In Vaccine Safety, Except For Republicans When It Comes To COVID-19 Vaccines

    Amidst news of the impending virus season, most adults think that the vaccines developed to combat these viruses are safe. While a majority of adults are confident in the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine (57%), it lags slightly behind confidence in the RSV vaccine (65%) and the flu vaccine (74%). Majorities across age groups, racial and ethnic identities, and partisanship are confident in the safety of all three vaccines – with one notable exception. About one in three Republicans say they are “very confident” or “somewhat confident” in the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine (36%), compared to more than half of Republicans who are confident the RSV vaccine is safe (52%) and nearly two-thirds who are confident in the safety of the flu vaccine (64%).

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

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

  • Majorities Across Partisans Trust Health Care Providers, Public Health Agencies Rank Lower Among Republicans

    While large majorities across partisans say they trust their own doctor or child’s pediatrician, government sources of information like the CDC, local public health departments, and the FDA fare much worse among Republicans. About four in ten Republicans say they trust the FDA (42%) or the CDC (40%) to provide reliable information about vaccines, and about half of Republicans (51%) say the same about their local public health departments. Large majorities of Democrats and more than half of independents say they trust each of these organizations at least a fair amount.

(mis)Information and trust
  • Health Care Providers Are The Most Trusted Sources For Vaccine Information

    More than eight in ten adults (82%) say they trust their own doctor or health care provider at least a fair amount when it comes to providing reliable information about vaccines. A similar share of parents (84%) has the same level of trust in their child’s pediatrician. About three-quarters of adults (77%) say they trust pharmacists to provide reliable information. A smaller share, but still a majority, say they trust public health government agencies like their own local public health department (68%), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (63%), or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (61%). This is similar to the share of insured adults (68%) who say they trust their health insurance company. Schools and daycares rank below other groups asked about with slightly more than half (56%) of parents with children attending school or daycare saying they trust them to provide reliable information about vaccines.

  • Most Understand Why And How To Get Vaccines, But A Quarter Say It Is Difficult To Know Costs, Which Ones To Get, And How They Work

    Nearly all adults (93%) say it is easy for them to understand where to go to get vaccinated, including six in ten (63%) who say it is “very easy.” At least three-quarters of adults also say it is easy for them to understand why they should get vaccines (84%), when they should get them (79%), how vaccines work (78%), which vaccines they should get (77%), and how much they may have to pay for a vaccine (63%). While most adults say it is easy for them to understand the reasoning behind vaccines and the logistics of how to get them, at least one in five of adults still say some of these aspects are difficult to understand. This includes understanding which vaccines they should get (23%), how vaccines generally work (22%), or understanding when they need to get certain vaccines (20%). More than one in four adults say it is difficult to know how much they may have to pay out-of-pocket (27%), even as most people with health insurance will not have to pay any out-of-pocket costs for recommended vaccines.

Taking precautions
IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC

 

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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