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More than half of the Spanish people do not intend to be vaccinated in 2024.
Last Friday, 13 December 2024, Seqirus presented a study carried out by the consultancy firm GAD3, which analyses in depth the perception and opinion of Spanish people on influenza and vaccination. The data from the Flu Vaccination Observatory reflect a worrying trend: the percentage of Spanish people who do not intend to be vaccinated has grown from 44% in 2021 to 55% in 2024, marking an all-time high.
Particularly alarming is the situation among the over-60s, one of the groups most vulnerable to flu complications, where 27% of this segment of the population has decided not to be immunised this year. This figure is particularly relevant, as this age group usually accounts for a significant proportion of hospitalisations and complications from seasonal influenza.
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Decline in the perception of the importance of vaccination
On the other hand, the study analysed respondents’ perception of the importance of the flu vaccine compared to other years. The results show a significant decline since the start of the pandemic: in 2021, 50% of the population considered the flu vaccine to be a crucial tool for protection, while in 2024 this figure has fallen sharply to 26%. This reflects a loss of risk perception and a decline in confidence in the efficacy of the vaccine in society. The pandemic had raised awareness of preventive measures, but over the years this perception has declined.
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Motivations and barriers to vaccination
The main reasons leading to influenza vaccination include self-protection and protection of the environment 61.9%, medical recommendations 51.6% and co-administration with COVID-19 vaccine 7.8%. On the other hand, the most common barriers mentioned by respondents are lack of medical recommendation or prescription 60.9% and perception of influenza as a mild illness 48.7%, which significantly influences the decision not to vaccinate.
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The role of health workers and the media
When respondents were asked about the sources of information related to influenza vaccination, the results indicate that the media, such as television, radio and the press, are the main source for 36.9% of the population. On the other hand, 21.9% highlighted health professionals, such as general practitioners, nurses or other specialists, as responsible for providing this information.
However, the role of healthcare personnel has seen a progressive decline in recent years, peaking in 2022 at 39.5%.
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Identification of risk groups
92.9% of respondents recognise people over 60 years of age as a group vulnerable to influenza, standing out as the most identified group. However, other risk groups show a significantly lower level of recognition: 30% mention people with respiratory conditions, 21.1% people with immunosuppression and only 8.1% those with heart conditions,
Although these groups represent approximately one third of the national population, their identification as a vulnerable population is limited, which could influence vaccination rates among these groups.
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What does the population need?
The public identifies several key measures to encourage influenza vaccination this year. The most highly valued is the recommendation of healthcare personnel, mentioned by 84.2% of respondents, highlighting the crucial role of doctors and nurses in the decision to be vaccinated.
Secondly, 80.3% considered it necessary to have more information about vaccination and its benefits, underlining the importance of educational outreach in this area. On the other hand, 76.9% highlighted the effectiveness of information campaigns on social networks and in the media as a tool to increase public awareness and participation.
In contrast, some measures receive less support, such as joint vaccination with other vaccines, like that of COVID, and the creation of ‘vaccinodromes’, facilities that played a central role during the pandemic, but are now perceived as less relevant.
Technical specifications
Universe: Spanish people over 18 years of age.
Geographical scope: National (Spain).
Quota: by sex, age and geographical area.
Information collection procedure: Computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) to landline and mobile phones.
Sample size: 9,452 interviews as shown in the following table:
Sampling error: ±1.9% for a confidence level of 95.5% (two sigmas) and under the worst-case scenario of P=Q=0.5 in the simple random sampling assumption.
Interview duration: approximately 4-5 minutes (21 closed questions).
Fieldwork dates: September/October 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
