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.