News — A new national survey from HealthDay and The Harris Poll reveals a significant shift in how Americans view vaccines—and what’s driving those views.
Please note: The following findings are under embargo until Monday, March 31 at 1:00 PM EDT.
To interpret the results, we feature expert analysis by Dr. F. Perry Wilson, interim director, Program of Applied Translational Research, Yale School of Medicine, and Dr. Peter Hotez, professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine. (See full bios below.)
Survey Highlights (n = 2,092 U.S. adults):
- 67% say local disease outbreaks (like measles or whooping cough) impact their vaccine decisions.
- 54% say recent media coverage on outbreaks has made them more supportive of vaccination.
- 44% say their views on vaccines have changed in the last five years—split between becoming more supportive (25%) and less supportive (19%) – with the COVID response as a primary reason.
The data also shows a high level of trust in personal physicians: 90% of Americans turn to health care providers for vaccine information, while only 34% say political or religious beliefs influence their decisions.
Dr. Hotez will also address recent NIH cuts to vaccine hesitancy research and the growing polarization around vaccine trust.
Full data tables are available upon request.
HealthDay's story can be found here: https://www.healthday.com/health-news/infectious-disease/local-outbreaks-can-motivate-the-vaccine-hesitant-poll-finds
Our Video can be found here: https://www.healthday.com/healthday-tv/infectious-disease/vaccine-hesitancy-is-on-the-rise-who-do-americans-trust-to-help-them-make-important-vaccine-decisions-a-new-healthdayharris-poll
The full version is available on our Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/healthday/p/exclusive-healthdayharris-poll-what?r=aapy9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
For more information please contact
Andy Meyers
Physician Bios
Prof. Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc (hon) FAAP FASTMH is Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is also Co-Director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, and Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine. He is also University Professor of Biology at Baylor University. Dr. Hotez is a vaccine scientist, biochemist, and pediatrician who has led or co-led the development of vaccines for parasitic infections-hookworm, schistosomiasis, Chagas disease currently in clinical trials, and several coronavirus vaccines, including two low-cost COVID vaccines for global health so far administered to 100 million children and adults in India and Indonesia. He is also an ardent vaccine advocate and science explainer who combats anti-science and antisemitism in America and globally.
Prof. Hotez has authored four single-authored books with Johns Hopkins University Press, including Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism, Preventing the Next Pandemic, and The Deadly Rise of Anti-science,and in 2025 will co-author Science Under Siege(Public Affairs)with the climate scientist, Michael Mann.
Dr. F. Perry Wilson grew up in Connecticut before attending Harvard College, where he graduated with honors in biochemistry. He then attended medical school at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons before completing his internship, residency, and fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2012, he received a Masters degree in Clinical Epidemiology, which has informed his research ever since. At Yale since 2014, his goal is using patient-level data and advanced analytics to personalize medicine for each individual patient. He hosts the popular Medscape Video series Impact Factor and has authored How Medicine Works and When it Doesn't.
About HealthDay
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