Americans’ Opinions About Flu Shots
Tuesday, November 9, 2004
by Joseph Carroll
Who's to Blame?
A recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds that Americans are likely to blame drug companies for the shortage of flu shots in the United States. The poll, conducted Oct. 22-24, asked Americans to rate how much blame each of four entities deserves for the shortage. The results show that more than three in four adults nationwide say the drug companies deserve at least a moderate amount of blame for the shortage, including 47% who say they deserve a great deal of blame. Two in three Americans place a great deal (30%) or moderate amount (37%) of blame on federal health officials for the shortage. Fewer Americans, 41%, say they blame trial lawyers (18% blame them a great deal and 23% a moderate amount).
Only about a third of Americans, 35%, say they blame President George W. Bush for the shortage of flu vaccine this year, including 17% who blame him a great deal. Results on this question vary significantly based on partisanship. The poll finds that just 3% of Republicans say they blame Bush a great deal for the shortage, while 32% of Democrats blame him to this extent.
How Many Americans Plan to Get Flu Shots This Year?
A separate CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted Oct. 11-14, finds that 40% of Americans say they plan to get a flu shot this year, while 59% do not plan to be inoculated. When asked whether they got a flu shot last year, the poll shows that 47% say they did get a shot last year and 53% say they did not.
Only about one in six Americans (16%) say they are not getting the shots this year because of the vaccine shortage. More than 4 in 10 Americans, 43%, say they are not getting flu shots for some other reason.
Older Americans are much more likely than younger Americans to say they are getting a flu shot this year. The poll finds that 72% of adults aged 65 and older plan to get a flu shot, with just 3% saying they are not getting the shot because of the shortage and 25% saying they are not getting the shot for some other reason.
Among 18- to 29-year-olds, 34% say they are planning to get a flu shot, 19% say they are not getting the shot because of the shortage, and 46% say they are not getting the shot for some other reason. Among those adults aged 30 to 49, one in four are getting a flu shot this year, while 18% are not because of the shortage and 57% are not for some other reason. And, among 50- to 64-year-olds, 47% are planning to get a shot this year, while 20% are not planning to get a flu shot because of the shortage and 33% are not planning to get the shot for some other reason.