What Is Vaccine Confidence?
Vaccine confidence is the trust that patients, their families, and providers have in:
Recommended vaccines
Providers who administer vaccines
Processes and policies that lead to vaccine development, licensure or authorization, manufacturing, and recommendations for use
Many factors influence vaccine decision-making, including cultural, social, and political factors; individual and group factors; and vaccine-specific factors. However, confidence in the vaccines, the vaccinator, and the system all support the decision to get vaccinated.
Why Is It Important?
Most people in the United States are planning to get vaccinated against COVID-19, but some may want more information before seeking vaccination. They may want to know more about COVID-19 vaccines, including the process for developing and authorizing these vaccines and information about their safety and effectiveness. People may also have previous experiences that affect their trust and confidence in the health system, which could affect their decision to get vaccinated.
By taking time to listen to their concerns and answer their questions, you can help people become confident in their decision to get vaccinated. Also, when you decide to get vaccinated and share the reasons why you did, you can have a powerful influence on your family and community. Strong confidence in the vaccines within communities leads to more people getting vaccinated, which leads to fewer COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths.
Six Ways to Help Build COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence
Encourage leaders in your family, community, or organizations to be vaccine champions.
Have discussions with your friends and family about vaccination to understand their perspective and encourage their decision to vaccinate.
Share key messages that promote action through multiple trusted channels.
Help educate people about COVID-19 vaccines, including how they were developed and their intense safety monitoring, and how you can talk to others about the vaccines.
Learn more about finding credible vaccine information. When you come across COVID-19 information, cross-check with CDC.gov and learn how to respond to misinformation you encounter.
Make your decision to get vaccinated visible and celebrate it!
COVID-19 State of Vaccine Confidence Insights Report
CDC regularly creates reports about the status of COVID-19 vaccine confidence in the United States, emphasizing major themes that influence vaccine confidence and uptake. The reports include analyses of multiple quantitative and qualitative data sources, ranging from social listening and web metrics to immunization survey data and CDC-INFO inquiries. The reports seek to identify emerging issues of misinformation, disinformation, and places where intervention efforts can positively increase vaccine confidence across the United States.
