Boston, MA— A new national poll from Harvard School of
Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that a majority of adults
who tried to get the H1N1 vaccine for themselves or their children
have been unable to do so. The poll, which examines the American
public's response to the H1N1 vaccine shortage, is the fifth in a
series of surveys of public views concerning the H1N1 flu outbreak
undertaken by the Harvard Opinion Research Program at HSPH. The
polling was done October 30 to November 1, 2009.
Challenges to Getting H1N1 Vaccine
VaccinationSince the H1N1 flu vaccine became available in
October, 17% of American adults, 41% of parents, and 21% of
high-priority adults have tried to get it. Among adults who tried
to get it for themselves, 30% were able to get the vaccine and 70%
were unable to get it. Among parents who tried to get the H1N1
vaccine for their children, 34% were able to get it and 66% were
unable to get it. Among high priority adults who tried to get the
H1N1 vaccine, 34% were able to get it and 66% were unable to get
it.
Parents in this poll include those with children 6 months to
less than 18 years. High-priority adults include adults who live
with or care for a child less than 6 months of age, pregnant women,
health care and emergency health personnel, and adults 25-64 with
health conditions associated with higher risk of medical
complications from influenza, such as asthma or heart disease.
The poll also shows that some people were not able to find
information about the location of available H1N1 flu vaccine.
Approximately half who tried to find such information (49%) were
unable to find it.
"These findings suggest that the nationwide H1N1 vaccine
shortage is presenting a real challenge for those who have tried to
get the vaccine," said Robert J. Blendon, Professor of Health
Policy and Political Analysis at HSPH, who co-directed the
poll.
Personal Reactions to the Experience of Trying to Get H1N1
Vaccination
The poll suggests that nearly a third (29%) of those who have
tried and could not get the vaccine (either for themselves or for
their children) are very frustrated. That said, most who have tried
and not been able to get it yet (91%) say they will try again this
year to get the vaccine for themselves, their children or both.
"Public health officials who are encouraging H1N1 vaccination
may be relieved to see that most people who have so far been unable
to get the vaccine say they will try again," said Blendon.
Response to H1N1 Vaccine Shortage Overall
Looking more broadly at the issue of vaccine shortages, most
Americans (82%) believe there is a shortage of H1N1 vaccine in the
United States, and approximately 4 in 10 (41%) believe this is a
major problem for the country. More than half of adults (60%)
believe there is a shortage of H1N1 vaccine in their community.
Forty percent believe there will still not be enough H1N1 flu
vaccine by the end of November for everyone in their community who
wants it. Nearly a quarter (24%) say it will be a very serious
problem for them and their immediate family if the H1N1 vaccine is
not available by then.
This is the fifth in a series of surveys of public views
concerning the H1N1 flu outbreak undertaken by the Harvard Opinion
Research Program (HORP) at HSPH. See below:
"Survey Finds Nearly Half of Americans Concerned They Or Their
Family May Get Sick from Swine Flu," May 1, 2009.
"Survey Finds Many Americans Have Taken Steps to Protect
Themselves Against H1N1," May 8, 2024
"National Survey Finds Six in Ten Americans Believe Serious
Outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) Likely in Fall/Winter," July 15,
2009
"Survey Finds Just 40% of Adults Absolutely Certain They Will
Get H1N1 Vaccine," October 2, 2024
Another survey from HORP looked at business preparedness:
"Four-Fifths of Businesses Foresee Severe Problems Maintaining
Operations If Significant H1N1 Flu Outbreak," September 9, 2024
Methodology
This poll is part of an on-going series of surveys focused on
the public and biological security by the Harvard Opinion Research
Program (HORP) at Harvard School of Public Health. The study was
designed and analyzed by researchers at the Harvard School of
Public Health (HSPH). The project director is Robert J. Blendon of
the Harvard School of Public Health. The research team also
includes Gillian K. SteelFisher, John M. Benson, and Mark M.
Bekheit of the Harvard School of Public Health, and Melissa J.
Herrmann of SSRS/ICR. Fieldwork was conducted via telephone
(including both landline and cell phone) for HORP by SSRS/ICR of
Media (PA) October 30-November 1, 2009.
The survey was conducted with a representative national sample
of 1,073 adults age 18 and over, including oversamples of
non-Hispanic African Americans and Hispanics. Altogether, 107
non-Hispanic African Americans and 141 Hispanics were interviewed.
In the overall results, these groups were weighted to their actual
proportion of the total adult population.
The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 3.8
percentage points. Possible sources of non-sampling error include
non-response bias, as well as question wording and ordering
effects. Non-response in telephone surveys produces some known
biases in survey-derived estimates because participation tends to
vary for different subgroups of the population. To compensate for
these known biases, sample data are weighted to the most recent
Census data available from the Current Population Survey for
gender, age, race, education, region, and number of adults in the
household. Other techniques, including random-digit dialing,
replicate subsamples, and systematic respondent selection within
households, are used to ensure that the sample is
representative.
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