CNN
Thursday, Nov 19th, 2009
More than half of all adult Americans say they don’t want to get the H1N1 flu vaccine, according to a new national poll.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday also indicates that the number of adults who have tried to get the vaccine but were turned away is higher than the number of adults who have gotten a swine flu shot.
According to the poll, 55 percent of adults don’t want to get the swine flu vaccine, and don’t plan to get a shot. Another one in five say they want to get inoculated but haven’t taken any steps to do so, 14 percent want a shot and have tried to get it but have been unsuccessful. Just 7 percent have been inoculated for H1N1.
Why are more than half of all Americans shunning the vaccine?
“The perception that the vaccine has dangerous side effects is the top reason,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “Roughly half of those who don’t want a swine flu shot say that the possibility of side effects is one reason why they don’t plan to get the vaccine. That works out to 28 percent of the adult population who don’t plan to get inoculated due to the risk of dangerous side effects.”
