You’re Less Likely to Trust Common Vaccines If You Seek Health Advice Online: Study

A new survey by KFF, an independent health policy research firm, suggests that people who rely on social media and AI chatbots for health advice are more likely to believe false claims about vaccines .

The poll asked 2,480 US adults about their use of social media apps and AI chatbots for health information , as well as their beliefs about MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and COVID-19 vaccines . KFF found that respondents who reported weekly (or more frequent) health-related social media use had higher levels of belief in at least one vaccine myth than those who never used social platforms for health information. A similar pattern appeared among those who regularly use AI chatbots for health purposes; those who do are more likely to believe in vaccine misinformation than those who don't, the study suggested.

KFF's poll was inspired by research into the false yet pervasive claims that MMR vaccines cause autism or are riskier than measles itself, as well as the myth that more people died from COVID-19 vaccines than from the actual virus. Another common vaccine belief? That mRNA (Messenger RNA) vaccines alter a person's DNA.

While the survey found that many adults have heard these claims, between 33% and 41% believe they are untrue (depending on the myth). KFF says "at least half fall in the 'malleable middle,' saying each of these claims is either 'probably true' or 'probably false.'" Among those who use social media or AI to seek health information, however, 37% believe MMR vaccines are "probably" a cause of autism, and another 16% think that is "definitely true."

KFF also found that adults who say they have a trusted doctor or clinician report lower belief in vaccine myths than those who do not. Parents who delay or skip childhood vaccines, meanwhile, show firmer belief in vaccine myths than parents who vaccinate their children on schedule.