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Earlier
this year, the FDA delayed potential authorization of a vaccine for use
in children under age 5 to wait for more data about its safety and
effectiveness. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of parents with young children say
the FDA’s delay has not affected their confidence in the safety the
vaccines for this age group. Smaller shares say the delay made them more
(22%) or less (13%) confident.
With
COVID-19 restrictions fading from restaurants, retail stores and other
venues, and many workers returning to their offices and job sites, most
(88%) workers who work outside their homes say they feel either “very”
(55%) or “somewhat” (33%) safe from COVID-19 while at their job sites.
There are big differences
by race, ethnicity, and income. Much smaller shares of Black (31%) and
Hispanic (48%) workers than White (63%) workers say they feel “very
safe.” Similarly, workers with incomes under $40,000 annually are also
less likely than those with higher incomes to say they feel “very safe”
(41% vs. 57%).
While
mask requirements fade in most settings, more than a third (38%) of
workers say they wore a mask all or most of the time while indoors at
their workplace in the past month, while 43% say they never wore one. In
addition, 3 in 10 (30%) say that all or most of their co-workers
regularly wear masks.
Most
Black (64%) and Hispanic (52%) workers, and most of those with lower
incomes (61%), say they wore a mask every or most of the time at work in
the past 30 days. These workers are also more likely than their
counterparts to say that all or most of their coworkers regularly wear
masks too.
“America’s
workers are trying to put the pandemic behind them, but that’s tougher
for Black, Latino and low-income workers who are much less likely to feel
very safe at work and are more likely to wear masks,” KFF President and
CEO Drew Altman said.
There’s
a similar pattern in the views of parents about the safety of their
children’s schools.
Most (84%) parents say
they feel their children are “very” (44%) or “somewhat” (40%) safe from
COVID-19 while at school, though fewer Black and Hispanic parents (33%)
than White parents (52%) say that they feel their child is “very safe.”
Three-quarters
(75%) of parents now say their children’s schools do not have any mask
requirements for students and staff, a major shift from the start of the
school year in September when 69% of parents said their school required
universal masking.
About
four in ten parents (41%) say their child regularly wears a mask at
school, either voluntarily or because their school requires it. Black and
Hispanic parents are more than twice as likely as White parents to say
their child usually wears a mask (70% vs. 26%).
About a Third of the Public Thinks the Nation is Facing a
New COVID-19 Wave as Cases Rise
As
COVID-19 cases have begun to rise nationally in recent weeks, a little
more than a third (35%) of adults think there is a new wave of COVID-19
infections hitting the country. Most say either that there is not a new
wave (50%) or that they aren’t sure if there is (14%).
People’s
perceptions on this question seem to reflect their view of what is
happening among their own family and friends. Most (62%) say that they
have seen fewer cases in the past 30 days among people than know. Half
(51%) also say that the people they know who got COVID-19 recently are
experiencing less severe symptoms than those infected in previous waves.
Vaccination and Booster Rates for Adults and Eligible
Children Are Little Changed So Far This Year
The
latest survey shows that vaccination and booster rates among adults and
eligible children have leveled off.
Among adults, three
quarters (75%) say they have been vaccinated, and nearly half (47%)
received a booster dose (representing about 73% of those adults likely
eligible to receive a booster). These numbers are little changed since
February.
While
previous Vaccine Monitor surveys found White adults were more likely than
Black and Hispanic adults to report having received a booster, the newest
survey shows similar shares of Black (47%), Hispanic (43%), and White
(48%) adults now report receiving a booster.
Among
vaccinated adults who have not received a booster shot, half either say
they will “definitely not” get one (23%) or will get one only if required
(27%). Most who are eligible but have not gotten a booster say they feel
they have sufficient protection from their initial vaccination or a prior
infection.
Among parents of
adolescent children (ages 12-17), more than half (56%) say their teen has
gotten a vaccine. Among parents of children ages 5-11, nearly 4 in 10
(39%) say their child has gotten a vaccine. These shares are largely
unchanged since earlier this year.
Other findings include:
- When
asked who people trust to provide reliable information about the
COVID-19 vaccines, personal doctors top the list, with 85% of adults
saying they trust their personal doctor at least a fair amount and
83% of parents saying they trust their child’s pediatrician at least
that much. About two-thirds trust COVID-19 vaccine information from
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (64%) or the FDA
(62%), and about half of adults trust their state government
officials (54%), Dr. Anthony Fauci (53%), and President Joe Biden
(49%).
- The
public’s trust in President Biden, the FDA, the CDC, and Dr. Fauci
for reliable COVID-19 information has declined over the past 17
months, especially among Republicans. For example, six in ten
Republicans (62%) said they trusted the FDA in December 2020,
compared 43% who say so now. Trust in these sources for vaccine
information remains high among Democrats.
- With
a new omicron subvariant continuing to spread nationally, 61% of the
public says that they and their families are “very prepared” for any
future rise of cases, and two-thirds (66%) of employed adults say
their workplace is very prepared. Slightly less than half of parents
(45%) say their child’s school is very prepared for a rise in
COVID-19 cases due to new variants.
- In
contrast, fewer report that their local area more generally is very
prepared for a rise in COVID-19 cases (36%) or that the U.S. overall
is very prepared (25%).
Designed and analyzed by
public opinion researchers at KFF, the Vaccine Monitor survey was
conducted from April 13-26, 2022, among a nationally representative
random digit dial telephone sample of 1,889 adults, including an
oversample of 501 Hispanic adults and 500 non-Hispanic Black adults.
Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by landline (212) and
cell phone (1,677). The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3
percentage points for the full sample. For results based on subgroups,
the margin of sampling error may be higher.
The KFF
COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor is an ongoing research project
tracking the public’s attitudes and experiences with COVID-19
vaccinations. Using a combination of surveys and qualitative research,
this project tracks the dynamic nature of public opinion as vaccine
development and distribution unfold, including vaccine confidence and
acceptance, information needs, trusted messengers and messages, as well
as the public’s experiences with vaccination.
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