The vast majority of Americans continue to believe that the benefits of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine outweigh any risks it may present — and that those risks are low, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center.
In addition, the survey results, released Tuesday, indicate that a growing percentage of people consider immunizations’ power to prevent serious illness to be very high.
The findings come at a time of increased measles outbreaks in the United States and abroad, as well as an increase of opponents who are questioning the safety of vaccines, and those who think that parents should be able to decide which vaccines their kids get.
“There’s an ongoing concern in the public health community about the rise of measles cases in the U.S.,” said Cary Funk, the center’s director of science and society research.
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