A study revealed that U.S. individuals' trust in COVID-19 vaccine science held steady between 2021 and 2023, with approximately 64% consistently expressing trust. However, these levels remained lower than global averages across 23 countries studied.

In the study, published in Vaccine: X, investigators analyzed data from the cross-sectional surveys of 1,000 U.S. adults annually from 2021 to 2023. Trust levels measured 63.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 59.9%–67.9%) in 2021, 67.2% (95% CI = 64.0%–70.4%) in 2022, and 63.8% (95% CI = 60.2%–67.5%) in 2023.

The study found that vaccine acceptance was significantly higher among those who trusted the science, with 83% (95% CI = 80.3%–85.8%) of respondents reporting vaccine acceptance in 2023. Among those vaccinated, 72.2% (95% CI = 68.4%–75.7%) reported willingness to receive future recommended boosters.

Key demographic factors associated with higher trust in vaccine science included:

• Male gender (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.02–1.99)
• University degree (adjusted OR = 2.37, 95% CI = 1.67–3.37)
• Above-median income (adjusted OR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.04–2.89).

Personal loss emerged as a significant factor. Individuals who lost a family member or close friend to a COVID-19 infection within the past year showed nearly four times higher odds of trusting vaccine science (adjusted OR = 3.91, 95% CI = 1.87–8.18) compared with those without such loss. Overall, 31.5% of the respondents reported losing a family member or close friend to a COVID-19 infection, with 10.8% reporting loss within the past year.

The study also examined trust in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a source of COVID-19 vaccine information. While initially showing significant correlation with vaccine uptake (adjusted OR = 3.11, 95% CI = 2.03–4.77), this relationship became nonsignificant when adjusted for trust in science. However, trust in the CDC remained significantly associated with willingness to receive future boosters (adjusted OR = 3.77, 95% CI = 2.33–6.09) even after adjustment.

The research utilized stratified random sampling across five demographic variables, with the sample comprising 50.9% female participants and 35.7% university graduates. Income distribution showed 36.1% above median income, 36.1% below median income, and 20.7% reporting no income.

U.S. trust levels consistently measured below the 23-country average (71.6%) and high-income country average (68.4%) throughout the study period.

The study was funded by Moderna, Inc., through the City University of New York Research Foundation. The researchers maintained full autonomy in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and publication decisions. 

Declaration of competing interest can be found in the study.