Most U.S. Adults Unsure Which Vaccines CDC Recommends During Pregnancy

WEDNESDAY, July 29, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Most Americans are unsure of which vaccines the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends during pregnancy, according to the results of a survey released by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania.

The survey, conducted from July 1 to 5, 2026, included 1,031 U.S. adults.

The researchers found that for each of four vaccines the CDC recommends during pregnancy, at least 45 percent of respondents were not sure whether the CDC recommends it. Almost half of participants knew that the CDC recommends getting the seasonal flu vaccine during pregnancy, but less than a third knew that the CDC recommends the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine, as well as vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus and hepatitis B if an individual is not up-to-date. More than half of those surveyed did not know whether the CDC recommends the COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy. Compared with other age groups, women of childbearing age (18 to 49 years) were significantly more knowledgeable about most of the CDC’s pregnancy vaccine recommendations, although many in this group were also not sure what is recommended.

“The encouraging news is that relatively few people think that the CDC recommends vaccines that are not advised during pregnancy,” Ken Winneg, the APPC managing director of survey research, said in a statement. “The challenge is overcoming the widespread uncertainty over what the CDC does recommend.”

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