News & Views: What Do People around the World Think about Science, Health, Trust and Vaccines?
Published on in Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers
Published on in Vaccine Update for Healthcare Providers
In the first global study of attitudes toward science and health, the Wellcome Global Monitor surveyed more than 140,000 people in more than 140 countries to better understand global trust in science, scientists and health information, interest in science and health topics, the benefits of science, the compatibility of religion and science, and attitudes about vaccines. Data were collected between April and December 2018.
According to the findings, the sentences should read:
Read on for more details about these findings.
When asked to choose who they most trust to give them medical or health advice, about 73% of people chose a doctor or nurse. Family and friends was the second most popular choice, at about 14%. Other choices, including a religious leader, famous person, traditional healer, none of these, or no response/don’t know, all received 2% or 3% of the response.
The North American region respondents, which included those from the United States and Canada, chose “a doctor or nurse” 88% of the time; however, 5% chose a traditional healer. Other choices were chosen less than 5% of the time.
When asked about medical advice from healthcare providers or government officials, globally, 84% trusted healthcare providers versus 76%, government officials. In the North American region, the responses were 92% and 61%, respectively.
In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) deemed vaccine hesitancy as a top 10 global health threat. Concerns around vaccines differ in their nature and intensity in various regions of the world; however, in the Wellcome survey, respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that vaccines are important (92%), effective (84%) and safe (79%). Additionally, more than 9 in 10 respondents reported that one or more of their children had received a vaccine.
Regional data were more variable. In the North American region, 87% agreed to importance, 83% to effectiveness, and 72% to safety. Eastern European respondents (from Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine) gave the lowest importance (80%), effectiveness (65%), and safety (50%) ratings.
While 69% of all respondents believed that scientists’ efforts benefit them, responses to this question also varied, ranging from only about 49% in North Africa to 84% in Australia and New Zealand. About 83% of North American respondents agreed that scientific endeavors benefit them.
When researchers looked at whether people believed that scientists’ efforts benefited them personally or “most, some or few” people in their country, they identified four groups of respondents:
While this report shows some areas for concern, it also has some important, and tangible, findings for those on the frontlines:
Contributed by: Charlotte A. Moser, MS, Paul A. Offit, MD
Categories: Vaccine Update August 2019, News and Views About Vaccines
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