US Views on New Vaccine Development and False Information After COVID-19

Vaccine innovations offer key tools to protect health, yet public views about vaccine development in the wake of COVID-19 are not well understood. We conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,632 US adults to examine public perceptions of vaccine development and false vaccine information that may shape views after the pandemic. The vast majority (81%) of adults thought vaccine development is "mostly a good thing," largely because vaccines protect the vulnerable and protect against severe illness (81% and 78%, respectively, among those who thought it was mostly a good thing). Most (78%) adults thought the spread of false vaccine information is a major problem, though few (26%) believed it is spread predominantly by people with bad intentions. Two-thirds (67%) said they had personally heard false information, but among those who gave examples, 31% provided statements that were about vaccines being beneficial, implying they believe vaccines are actually harmful. Findings suggest that public health leaders can build on largely positive public views of vaccine development, but should use caution when communicating about new vaccines and false information. It will be essential for leaders to acknowledge risks of new vaccines and avoid messages that seemingly denigrate people who might share false information.