New Survey Reveals Attitudes About Flu Vaccination

A survey of 952 parents of eight-to-17 year olds and a parallel survey of 875 school-aged children (eight-to-17 years of age) identified surprising knowledge gaps about flu vaccination and flu vaccine options available to prevent seasonal influenza.1


  • While eight in 10 parents (82 percent) are aware they can vaccinate their child against the flu, less than half of parents (44 percent) say their child has ever been vaccinated against the flu.1
  • Only 40 percent of eight-to-17 year olds say that it is either extremely or very important for them to receive an annual flu vaccine.1
  • Two out of three parents (67 percent) say they wish their child could receive a flu vaccine without getting a shot. About three out of four children (77 percent) say the same for themselves.1
  • 80 percent of parents say they rely upon healthcare providers for information about the flu and flu vaccine options.1

The single best way to help prevent influenza is to get a flu vaccine each year.2 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that all persons, including school-aged children, who want to reduce the risk of becoming ill with influenza or of transmitting influenza to others should be vaccinated every year.3

For more information on influenza vaccination and influenza vaccine options, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read the Survey Fact Sheet.

Read the Survey Press Release.

About the Parent and Child Surveys
The surveys were conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of MedImmune between June 4 and June 19, 2008 among 952 U.S. residents ages 24 and older with an eight-to-17 year old in the household for whom they are the parent of guardian and among 875 U.S. children and teens eight-17 years old.

1. MedImmune. Parent-Child Influenza Survey. Harris Interactive Inc. June 2008.
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Key Facts about Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine.
Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm. Accessed July 17, 2008.
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Persons for Whom Annual Vaccination is Recommended.
Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/acip/persons.htm. Accessed July 17, 2008.

 

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