Ipsos/IPHA Vaccine Tracker – November 2022
Almost half of people unaware what vaccines they can get for adult diseases
- 61% would follow doctor’s advice on vaccination
- 51% have received two or more booster Covid-19 vaccine doses
- 77% believe children should study science at school
Almost half of people do not know what vaccines they should get as adults to prevent certain diseases, according to a survey carried out by Ipsos for the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA).
The research, measuring public attitudes to vaccination in general and to Covid-19 vaccination, shows that 46% of people are not aware of the vaccines they should get as adults unless a healthcare professional tells them.
But 61% of people would get vaccinated for certain diseases if their doctor recommended the move.
Vaccines on the Health Service Executive’s adult vaccination schedule include flu, pneumococcal disease, whooping cough and travel vaccines, with Hepatitis B, HPV, mumps and rubella available for some people.
While 96% of people know that vaccines are available for flu, vaccines awareness varies for some other diseases, including tuberculosis (71%), HPV (70%) and meningitis (65%).
Over three in five people, or 61%, believe that it is not necessary to get vaccinated for certain diseases because they have already been eradicated.
Half of people said lack of information about vaccines was the biggest barrier to vaccine uptake. Almost two in five people, or 39%, said a lack of knowledge about the risks of remaining unvaccinated could stop them getting protected. Smaller proportions of people cited inconvenience, distance and lack of time as barriers, at 20%, 18% and 17%, respectively.
Over half of people, or 51%, have received two or more booster doses of Covid-19 vaccine while, overall, 93% of people aged 18 or over have been vaccinated for the disease at least once.
Over three in four people, or 77%, believe that children should study science at school, in part to learn more about vaccines.
About The Survey
Ipsos conducted 1,003 telephone interviews with adults aged 18 and over between November 1st and November 14th, 2022. The sample was nationally representative for age, gender, geography and social class.
