Many Americans still don't understand how COVID-19 vaccines work, with minimal knowledge of relative risk factors after vaccination, according to Axios/Ipsos poll findings published Oct. 26.
The 56th wave of the poll surveyed 1,038 Americans from Oct. 22-26.
Four poll findings:
1. Forty percent of respondents knew that vaccinated people are less likely to test positive for COVID-19 than unvaccinated individuals.
2. Only slightly more than 25 percent of respondents accurately said that a vaccinated 80-year-old is at greater risk of dying of COVID-19 than an unvaccinated 30-year-old.
3. While 60 percent of respondents correctly identified that an unvaccinated person is at least 10 times more likely to die of COVID-19 than a vaccinated person, 26 percent said they didn't know and 14 percent said they believed this to be false.
4. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they didn't know if the vaccine is effective at preventing severe illness among people with "breakthrough" cases, while 66 percent correctly indicated this is true and 11 percent believe it to be false.