Poll: Half of Adults in their 60s and 70s Do Not Know About RSV Vaccines

A recent University of Michigan poll found that nearly half of older adults were unaware of the new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines.

“As we prepare for the first RSV season when a vaccine will be available for older adults, these early data suggest a need for public health officials, primary care providers, pharmacies, and others to target their outreach and awareness-building efforts,” said Preeti Malani, MD, a physician at Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a senior advisor to the National Poll on Healthy Aging.

Sponsored by AARP and Michigan Medicine, the poll took place July 17, 2023, through August 7, 2023. Among respondents, who were between the ages of 60 and 80 years, 1850 answered a question about their awareness of the RSV vaccines, and 1817 answered a follow-up question about their interest in receiving an RSV vaccine.

Overall, 52% of respondents said they had heard about the new RSV vaccines. As for interest in receiving a vaccine, 21% said they were very interested, and 43% said they were somewhat interested.

Among respondents who described their health as fair or poor, just 41% were aware of the vaccines. Whether or not they had heard about the RSV vaccines before the poll, 65% of those with a chronic condition said they were very or somewhat interested in receiving one.

Interest in RSV vaccination increased with respondent age. Some 60% of adults in their 60s were very or somewhat interested in getting vaccinated compared with 70% of adults in their 70s.

Respondents with a college degree (68%) or in higher income households (66%) were more likely to say they were very or somewhat interested in getting an RSV vaccine compared with respondents with less education (58%) or in lower income households (60%). By race/ethnicity, 65% of White respondents were very or somewhat interested in RSV vaccination compared with 56% of Black and 56% of Hispanic respondents. Meanwhile, the poll found no significant difference in RSV vaccination interest by gender.

Reference

Many older adults want RSV vaccine, poll shows. News release. Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan; August 22, 2023. Accessed October 19, 2023.