With well being officers reporting 800 measles instances in a number of states already this 12 months, a lot of the public – and most mother and father – report listening to at the very least one false declare about measles or the vaccine for it, and plenty of of them aren’t positive what to consider, the most recent KFF Monitoring Ballot on Well being Info and Belief finds.
The ballot gauges whether or not the general public has heard, and whether or not they consider, three false statements associated to measles circulating amid the outbreak, a few of which have been amplified by Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccines have been confirmed to trigger autism in kids, that getting the measles vaccine is extra harmful than turning into contaminated with measles, and that vitamin A can stop measles infections.
Fewer than 5% of adults say that every of the three claims is “positively true,” and fewer than half say every is “positively false.” That leaves at the very least half of individuals expressing some uncertainty about whether or not to consider every declare, describing every as both “in all probability true” or “in all probability false.”
Of the three false claims, the most typical is the one suggesting a confirmed hyperlink between the MMR vaccine and autism, which most adults (63%) and most mother and father (61%) report having heard. A 3rd of adults (33%) and oldsters (33%) say they’ve heard the false declare in regards to the measles vaccine being extra harmful than the illness – a rise of about 15 share factors since March 2024. A few fifth of adults (20%) and oldsters (17%) say they’ve heard the false declare about vitamin A stopping measles.
Whereas most individuals categorical some degree of uncertainty in regards to the false claims, 1 / 4 of adults (25%) and a 3rd of oldsters (33%) say that it’s “positively” or “in all probability” true that there’s a confirmed hyperlink between the MMR vaccine and autism.
Notably, 1 / 4 (24%) of oldsters who lean towards believing at the very least one of many three false claims about measles say that they’ve delayed or skipped some beneficial vaccines for his or her kids. That’s greater than double the share who report opting out of vaccines amongst mother and father who say all three claims are “positively” or “in all probability” false (11%).
Regardless of the prevalence of false claims in regards to the vaccines, giant majorities of adults (83%) and of oldsters (78%) say they’re very or considerably assured that the vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella are protected.
Confidence within the vaccines is increased amongst Democrats (96%) and Democratic-leaning mother and father (95%) than amongst Republicans (79%) and particularly Republican-leaning mother and father (69%), of whom 31% say they don’t seem to be assured within the security of the vaccines.
Different findings embrace:
About half (51%) of the general public says that they’re at the very least considerably nervous in regards to the ongoing measles outbreak. Concern is highest amongst Democrats (76%), Hispanic adults (62%) and Black adults (61%).
Most adults (56%) and about half of oldsters (48%) are conscious that there are extra measles instances within the U.S. than lately. There are giant partisan variations, with Democrats (71%) and Democratic-leaning mother and father (64%) more likely than Republicans (49%) and Republican-leaning mother and father (37%) to know measles instances are increased this 12 months.
Most adults (56%) and about half of oldsters (48%) are conscious that there are extra measles instances within the U.S. than lately. There are giant partisan variations, with Democrats (71%) and Democratic-leaning mother and father (64%) more likely than Republicans (49%) and Republican-leaning mother and father (37%) to know measles instances are increased this 12 months.
Designed and analyzed by public opinion researchers at KFF, this survey was performed April 8-15, 2025, on-line and by phone amongst a nationally consultant pattern of 1,380 U.S. adults in English and in Spanish. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 share factors for the complete pattern. For outcomes based mostly on different subgroups, the margin of sampling error could also be increased.
