Surveying the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Public Confidence in Vaccines and Vaccine Messengers

The findings of a web-based survey conducted in March 2021 by the 2020-2021 American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Vaccine Science Fellows suggest that vaccine confidence since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic either increased or remained unchanged for the majority of respondents. However, the number of respondents who expressed a concerning decrease in confidence in vaccines since the onset of the pandemic is not insignificant.

The survey also highlights the importance of having a usual source of medical care. Results show a strong positive correlation between having a usual source of care and vaccine confidence with intent to vaccinate. Results demonstrate a shift in where people obtained their vaccine information during the pandemic, showing a decrease in information coming from their primary care clinician and an increase in information coming from the news, internet, and social media.

Finally, demographic analysis suggests demographic characteristics of those expressing hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccines are different than previously understood demographics of those expressing hesitancy toward traditional immunizations

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