Majority Concerned Over Measles Outbreak and Recommend Mandatory Vaccines According to a Tellwut Online Survey

According to a recent Tellwut online survey of over 2,500 respondents from Canada and the US, 67% agreed that the current measles outbreak is a grave concern to global health. With the epidemic of measles increasing at an alarming rate, 54% felt vaccines should be mandatory.

Measles, the-once eradicated disease, has resurfaced again endangering the health and lives of many people globally. WHO states that the cases have risen by 300% in the first three months of 2019. The outbreak has been recorded as the largest in 25 years in the US.

Tellwut conducted a market research study to determine how concerned the public was with respect to the recent measles epidemic and what should be done to curtail the spread of this deadly disease. The research also looked at differing opinions amongst those who were pro-vaccine and those who were anti-vaccine.

The Tellwut survey found that 84% believed that everyone should be up to date with their MMR (Measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines, however only 66% knew if they were up to date, 22% were unsure and 12% said they were not up to date. Of the 56% of respondents who have children, 89% said their children where up to date with their immunizations. With respect to mandating vaccines, Baby Boomers were more aligned towards mandating immunizations (53%) and labeled people as selfish for not vaccinating themselves and their children given the impact on the well-being of the community (55%). On the contrary, Generation X supported a parent’s right to decide if their children should be vaccinated; however of this group, only 2% were against vaccinations.

The research also revealed that 71% felt knowledgeable on working mechanism of vaccines irrespective of their position on vaccines, however only 54% felt that there was adequate safety information. 38% of the respondents were not aware that vaccine hesitancy has been declared a Top 10 Global threat for 2019. Of those, 66% of respondents didn’t believe in vaccination, 58% didn’t vaccinate themselves while 53% didn’t vaccinate their child. This anti-vaccine movement has had a systemic impact. Millennials were found to be reluctant to the idea of mandatory immunization. Generation Y and Baby Boomers were found to be divided in their opinion between being sure and not sure about mandatory vaccines. Among the vaccine hesitant respondents 67% felt there is not enough adequate information regarding safety of vaccination.

The top three concerns cited by those troubled by the outbreak were that the disease is highly contagious, it could cause numerous other health complications including death, and it forces the quarantine of public places that are the source of outbreaks. On the other hand, despite those who mistrust vaccines, 33% were concerned by the sudden outbreak of measles. However, this concern was not only because of its contagious nature and complicated side effects, but also the fear of a governmental mandatory immunization policy that might be implemented as a consequence.

77% of respondents agreed social media is the culprit that created the dilemma for parents; leading them to become vaccine hesitant as they trust these social media platforms above credible scientific sources. Interestingly, 33% of all the respondents displayed neutral feeling when asked if they felt government and pharmaceutical companies might be hiding information regarding risks of vaccinations.

The study also found that nearly half of the vaccine hesitant respondents were still not sure that they would consider vaccines even if they, their child, or any of their family members were to contract measles, while 24% remained adamant in their belief against vaccines, no matter the personal impact.

If the measles outbreak escalates in Canada and the US, it is most likely that governments will mandate vaccinations with the support of the majority.

About Tellwut 

Tellwut® is a North American community of individuals dedicated to expressing their opinions through online surveys based upon a wide variety of topics in exchange for rewards and the Tellwut community experience. The Tellwut community and proprietary survey and reward software application provide a platform for organizations to send surveys to their stakeholders or to crowdsource and conduct online market research quickly and and easily through the use of the Tellwut survey platform and the Tellwut Community; thus allowing businesses a clearer understanding and insight into their products or services, customer attitudes and potential business opportunities.