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A new analysis conducted by the Yale School of Public Health and a global communications firm suggests that today’s vaccine hesitancy is not simply a rejection of healthcare professionals or scientific evidence. Among people surveyed who would not give their children vaccines or would only give their children only some of the recommended vaccines, personal experience was the leading influence on how the parents arrived at their vaccine views, according to the 2026 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Analysis. Other top influences on respondents’ views were evidence and opinions found online, other people’s vaccination experiences, and healthcare providers. When asked if “the risks associated with childhood vaccinations greatly outweigh the potential benefits,” 31% of respondents across the global sample said they believed it. Another 52% said the claim was false, and 18% said they did not know. When healthcare advice conflicts with another trusted source, only 51% of respondents said they always follow the healthcare professional’s recommendation. The survey included 12,998 adults across 13 countries, including the United States, with roughly 1,000 respondents per country.
Partners in health: For health professionals addressing vaccine hesitancy, the report emphasizes meaningful interaction rather than persuasion alone. When patients have doubts about a provider’s recommendation, 58% of respondents said it is critically important for the clinician to listen first and understand their circumstances, and 57% valued having their doubts addressed without judgment. Overall, the findings suggest that earning trust requires clinicians to understand the experiences and competing information shaping patients’ views while engaging their concerns respectfully. Read a new editor’s letter from JUCM Editor-in-Chief Lindsey E. Fish, MD, FCUCM, where she discusses vaccine hesitancy and the power of seeking first to understand: We Must Meet Our Patients Where They Are