Despite overall confidence in safety and effectiveness of vaccines, high-income countries show lowest levels of trust.
People in Western Europe have the lowest levels of confidence in vaccines worldwide, according to the world’s biggest survey on global attitudes to public health and science.
More than a fifth – 22 percent – of people surveyed in Western Europe disagreed that vaccines are safe, while in Eastern Europe, 17 percent disagreed that they were effective, the Wellcome Global Monitor, published on Wednesday, showed.
France had the lowest levels of trust of any country included in the report, with one-third of French people disagreeing that vaccines are safe. It is also the only country where a majority of people – 55 percent – believed science and technology will reduce the total number of jobs available.
The poll of more than 140,000 people across 144 countries comes amid several outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in countries where sophisticated immunisation programmes are already in place including the United States, the Philippines and Brazil.
Parental concern regarding false information about the dangers of vaccines is thought to be the main contributor, however, religious values and a lack of trust in medical professions can also play a role.
Imran Khan, Wellcome’s head of public engagement, said the study showed that “people’s beliefs about science are deeply influenced by their culture, context and background.”
“We need to care more about these connections if we want everyone to benefit from the science,” he said in a press release on Wednesday.
