Poll Shows More Americans Embrace COVID Vax Untruths
Despite frequently being proven false, vaccine rumors ran rampant during the pandemic, contributing to today's skepticism. In 2020, claims that Bill Gates planned to use a vaccine to 'manipulate' or 'alter' human DNA had been widely shared. In another instance, one TikTok user created a video about being 'microchipped' and called a vaccine the 'mark of the beast.' The BBB debunked both claims. Photo illustration by The Integrity Project / BBC
Axios
Growing numbers of Americans are buying into misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, according to a new national survey, with more than one in five believing it's safer to get the virus than to get a shot.
Why it matters: Belief in misconceptions is stoking vaccine hesitancy with the nation facing a summer surge of infections, more COVID-related hospitalizations, and updated shots now reaching pharmacy shelves.
The big picture: The findings from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center are further evidence of how intense backlash to the government's at times muddled COVID response eroded trust in public health, jeopardizing preparedness efforts to address future crises.
The proliferation of vaccine misinformation on social media has also outpaced efforts to counter it, Columbia University researchers found earlier this year.
READ THE ANNENBERG PUBLIC POLICY CENTER REPORT IN ITS ENTIRETY.
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