On Aug. 28, 2024, with the nation in the midst of a summer surge of Covid-19 infections and increased hospitalizations due to the disease, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week approved updated Covid vaccines to protect Americans six months and older against the deadly virus. But Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) health survey data finds that the number of Americans believing Covid-19 vaccination misinformation has risen and their willingness to take or recommend vaccination against Covid-19 is lower than in the past.

The 2024 waves of the Annenberg Science and Public Health (ASAPH) knowledge survey, a nationally representative panel survey of nearly 1,500 U.S. adults, suggest that many may be reluctant to get the updated vaccine.

Over a quarter of Americans (28%) incorrectly believe that the Covid-19 vaccines have been responsible for thousands of deaths, up from 22% in June 2021. The percentage who know this is false declined to 55% from 66%Over one in five Americans (22%) believe the false idea that it is safer to get a Covid-19 infection than to get the vaccine, up from 10% in April 2021, months after the life-saving vaccines were introduced.The percentage of Americans who incorrectly believe that the Covid-19 vaccine changes people’s DNA nearly doubled to 15% from 8% in April 2021.