More Americans Now Believe MMR Vaccine Causes Autism vs 2021
Approximately 67% of adults in the US know that vaccines do not cause autism in children, declining significantly from 74% in 2021.
Approximately 67% of adults in the US know that vaccines, such as measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), do not cause autism in children; however, that number declined significantly from 74% in 2021, according to a survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Additionally, approximately 83% of Americans are not worried they or someone in their family will contract measles in the next 3 months.1
Approximately 67% of adults in the US know that vaccines do not cause autism in children, declining significantly from 74% in 2021. | Image Credit: Leigh Prather - stock.adobe.com
“Since the overwhelming number of individuals in this country, including children, either have had measles or have been vaccinated against it, it is unsurprising that few are worried about getting the virus,” Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, said in a news release.1 “But with measles cases reported in 31 states and vaccination rates dropping, everyone should be knowledgeable about the symptoms, treatment, and the prevention of measles through the highly effective MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.”
As of May 15, 2025, there have been a total of 1024 confirmed measles cases across the US. There have been 14 outbreaks, and 92% of confirmed cases have been associated with an outbreak. There were 16 outbreaks reported in 2024, with 69% of cases associated with outbreaks. Approximately 96% of cases have been in patients who are unvaccinated or have an unknown vaccination status. Furthermore, the CDC reported 13% of cases lead to hospitalizations, and there have been 3 deaths.2
As of May 16, there have been 718 cases confirmed in Texas, with 93 patients requiring hospitalization. There have been 2 deaths in Texas, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, and the patients were not vaccinated and did not have underlying conditions. Gaines County had the most cases at 406, followed by 60 in Terry County.3
The investigators of the survey reported that 14% of people think that the MMR vaccine causes autism, which is up from 9% in June 2021. Approximately 83% believe the MMR vaccine has benefits that outweigh the risks, compared with 17% who do not believe that. However, the percentage of those who believe the benefits outweigh the risks decreased from 89%.1,4
Furthermore, the investigators said that many patients do not understand the risk of measles during pregnancy, with 57% saying they are not sure what related complications are during pregnancy. Furthermore, only 58% of respondents said that there are more measles cases in the US compared with last year, and 27% are not sure whether there are more cases. Approximately 5% and 11% said the number of cases was either less or about the same as last year, respectively.1,4
Only 14% of patients identified that a patient could spread the infection 4 days prior to developing a rash, and 12% estimated that the period is about 1 week. Approximately 55% said they did not know. Furthermore, 66% said that measles can be spread by touching contaminated surfaces and then one’s nose, mouth, or eyes, which increased from last year. Approximately 63% of Americans said measles can be spread by coughing or sneezing.1,4
