Study tracks Americans’ ‘stubborn’ mistrust of science behind COVID-19 vaccines

Nov. 4 (UPI) — A new study indicates what researchers describe as an ongoing “stubborn mistrust” in science among the American public as it relates to COVID-19 vaccines.

The study, conducted by researchers from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in Spain, looked to shed light on overall public trust in the science of COVID-19 vaccines and its effect on vaccine acceptance in the United States from 2021 to 2023.

“This research provides valuable insights for policymakers and health communicators as they continue to navigate the ongoing challenge of global vaccine hesitancy,” the study’s senior author, CUNY SPH Dean Ayman El-Mohandes, said Monday in announcing the findings.

Data shows roughly one-third of the study’s U.S. respondents consistently expressed a general mistrust in the science behind COVID-19 vaccines from 2021 through 2023.

In 2021, it found 36% of people mistrusted vaccines. But that went down a year later in 2022 to a little more than 32%, only to bounce up again to a little more than 36% again in 2023.

It further found that while levels of trust fluctuated only slightly over that time period, the results were lower than global averages reported in previous studies

According to researchers, higher trust levels were associated with male respondents, those with university degrees and people with above-median income levels.

“Our findings underscore the critical role of trust in science during public health crises,” says ISGlobal Postdoctoral Fellow Trenton M. White, who was the study’s lead author.

It outlines that individuals who lost a family member or close friend to the virus were “significantly more likely to trust vaccine science and accept vaccination.” And those who experienced a loss within the past year were “nearly four times more likely to trust the science compared to those who did not experience loss,” research shows.

However, the proportion of the U.S. population that expressed trust in science “remained almost constant,” ranging from 64-67% over the three years covered in past studies.

White says the fact that personal loss due to COVID-19 was associated with trust levels “highlights the need for public health communications to be sensitive to the emotional impact of the pandemic,” he stated.

As far as racial preferences, the study revealed while COVID-19 vaccine acceptance “varied significantly” between White and non-White demographics, it did not find a significant correlation between racial backgrounds and trust in science.

“Although we did observe somewhat less trust in science among Latino respondents,” researchers say.

An irrational fear of COVID-19 vaccines has spread into other vaccines such as the one for the flu, with new information indication that fewer than two in five U.S. adults (38%) say they will definitely get a flu vaccine.

Meanwhile, trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an information source was “significantly correlated” with both vaccine acceptance and future booster uptake, researchers said. And a trust in science was a “strong predictor” of vaccine acceptance and a willingness to receive recommended boosters shots.

But researchers emphasized that “maintaining and enhancing public trust in vaccination programs requires strengthening trust in health communication from public sources,” in particular the CDC.

Experts have suggested that future strategies surrounding public health consider the “diverse socio-economic and educational backgrounds” of American citizens in order to “effectively build and maintain trust in science-based solutions.”