On Monday 21 November, the European Commission published a report on the state of vaccine confidence in Europe in 2022.
According to the report, after a peak in Europeans’ confidence in the vaccine in 2020, the level of confidence in vaccination has returned to levels comparable to 2018.
At the European level, 81.5% of respondents believe that vaccines are important, 85.6% agree that they are effective and 82.3% agree that vaccines are safe.
Disparities persist between Member States: there is a decline in confidence in Eastern Europe, Central Europe, the Baltic States and the Netherlands.
The report notes a divide between those over 65 and those aged 18-34.
Among the latter, vaccine confidence declined between 2018 and 2022. The report describes this trend as worrying, as it could lead to a decline in child immunisation.
Europeans’ perceptions also differ according to the vaccines. Confidence in the safety of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has increased since 2018, but confidence in the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has fallen since then.
The report describes vaccine hesitancy as a complex phenomenon and examines socio-demographic factors.
Link to the report: https://aeur.eu/f/45p (Original version in French by Emilie Vanderhulst)