Vaccine Literacy in a Misinformation Era: Implications for Education and Public Trust 2309409

Abstract

Abstract Introduction The current 92% kindergartner vaccination coverage, central to disease/death prevention, has decreased from last year, with rising nonmedical exemptions, likely driven by widespread misinformation and myths. Public polling shows some parents trust non-medical influencers over public-health experts. Strengthening immunology literacy across undergraduate, graduate, and clinical education supports critical thinking, evidence-based interpretation, and credible source evaluation. Methods An IRB-approved, anonymous assessment (n = 11,153) across science (SM) and non-science (NSM) majors. Results Results showed that, while SM had more positive and correct vaccine beliefs, like only 37% NSM noted strongly agree to “Vaccine benefits, in general, are larger than their risks”, in contrast (p = 0.05) to 57% SM, but many were not sure. Similar results were obtained from “vaccines cause autism” with 62% of SM strongly disagreeing vs 38% NSM (p = 0.05). The value of vaccine discussions in science classes was evident from inaccuracies, like “Mercury is a component in childhood vaccines” where more SM than NSM disagreed (mercury-based thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccines in 1998), indicating the effectiveness of teaching vaccine literacy in a misinformation era. Overall data revealed that even SM could benefit from more formal discussion of myths and misinformation, as only 50.5% of SM agreed with “You do not think that you can get the flu from the flu vaccine” (vs 31.8% NSM, p = 0,05). Conclusion Strengthening immunology training equips learners to evaluate scientific evidence, identify credible sources, and counter vaccine misinformation. Persistent gaps among both science and non-science majors highlight the need for more explicit instruction in debunking myths. Vaccine literacy education that emphasizes critical source evaluation, evidence-based reasoning, and applied strategies such as role-playing is essential to sustaining vaccine confidence and public trust. Funding Source n/a Topic Categories Vaccines and Immunotherapy (VAC)