A survey done concludes that out of 2500 American adults, twenty percent of them were influenced by the media to create opinions about vaccinations. This is a very small sample size when you scale it to the general world population, even in the scale of the population of the United States. This is somewhat alarming, especially since vaccinations are necessary to contain epidemics and build immunity. Here are some shocking statistics of this study that researchers found worrisome:
- Eighteen percent of people responded that they believe vaccinations are linked to causing autism.
- Fifteen percent believe that vaccines are full of harmful toxins.
- Twenty percent believe that the schedule of vaccinations do not matter. Therefore, parents are at liberty to spread out the timing of when their child receives their shots instead of relying on the CDC's (Centers for Disease Control) official vaccination schedule.
- Nineteen percent answered that it is better to build immunity to the disease by actually acquiring the disease rather than taking preventative action.
This is all influenced by the media. Media plays such a big part in everyone's life. We are so quick to believe everything we hear, especially because we live in such a fear driven world. If we hear something alarming, we are more likely to believe it than if it did not scare us. Think about how quickly alarming situations pertaining to politics get blown out of proportion. It happens all of the time. It is crucial to rely on news outlets that are credible. Especially today when we observe how the coronavirus is spreading throughout the world.
However, these statistics are not set in stone. Many researchers believe that individual's feelings towards vaccinations will change as it pertains to their personal interest. This leaves some hope for a better future of our world.
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