A pair of new Pew Research Center surveys finds that while nearly two-thirds of US adults view childhood vaccines as effective, confidence in their safety and in vaccine policy is increasingly shaped by political affiliation. At the same time, changes to federal COVID-19 vaccine recommendations appear to have had little impact on willingness to receive an updated shot.
In a nationally representative survey of more than 5,100 adults, 63% say they are extremely or very confident that routine childhood vaccines are effective at preventing serious illness.
But confidence dropped when respondents were asked about childhood vaccine safety and schedules: only 53% feel confident that vaccines have undergone enough safety testing, and 51% believe vaccine schedules are safe. Conversely, roughly one in five respondents are not too or not at all confident in either safety issue. These doubts are concentrated among Republicans, who are almost evenly split between high and low confidence in vaccine safety measures.
Most say benefits of MMR vaccine outweigh risks
Both Democrats (92%) and Republicans (78%) say the benefits of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine outweigh the risks. Yet, for Republicans, that share is down from 91% in 2016. And more Republicans (20%) than Democrats (9%) rate the risk of MMR vaccine side effects as high.
Republican support for MMR vaccine school requirements has also fallen sharply in recent years. Just over half (52%) of Republicans now support school requirements, down from 79% in 2019. Overall public support dropped from 82% to 69% over the same period.
Democrats (85%) are much more likely than Republicans (62%) to say medical scientists should play a major role in making childhood vaccine decisions.
The survey also explored public views on who should shape childhood vaccine policy. Democrats (85%) are much more likely than Republicans (62%) to say medical scientists should play a major role in making childhood vaccine decisions.
In contrast, Republicans are more likely to say parents of young children should play a major role (71% vs 46%). Only small minorities in either party believe federal or state officials, pharmaceutical leaders, or insurers should influence these decisions.
59% don’t plan to get updated COVID vaccine
A separate Pew survey examined whether recent changes to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine guidelines have influenced Americans’ decisions to receive an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the survey, the new recommendations have had little effect on public uptake. A majority of adults (59%) say they do not plan to receive the updated vaccine, similar to 2024 levels. Thirteen percent of respondents had already received the vaccine as of late October, and just 26% say they want to get it.
Awareness of the new CDC guidance is limited, with 44% of adults saying they hadn’t heard about the changes. Among the 56% who had heard at least a little about the new guidelines, most (63%) say the changes haven’t influenced their decision.
But the new guidelines have affected trust. Four in 10 adults say the changes make them less confident in the Trump administration’s other vaccine recommendations. That sentiment is strongly partisan: 57% of Democrats familiar with the changes say it reduces their trust, compared with 20% of Republicans.
Both surveys were conducted from October 20 to 26, 2025. The margin of error was ±1.7 percentage points.
