Vaccinations, Italians' confidence grows

It is one of the few positive legacies of Covid: the growing trust of Italians in vaccinations and in general in the propensity for prevention. Compared to 2014, the share of Italians who express full trust in vaccination has increased (43% compared to 22%), especially over time the share who declare they trust vaccinations guaranteed by the NHS (from 30.7% to 50.6% of parents). Not only that: almost 60% of people think it is riskier not to get vaccinated and risk getting sick. This is what emerges from the Censis survey 'The new traits of vaccination in Italy', carried out thanks to the unconditional sponsorship of Pfizer, on a sample of 1,462 Italians aged 18 and over. 36.9% of the sample said they resorted to vaccination, and this share is significantly growing compared to the previous survey (2014), in which the percentage stopped at 16.9%.

The Covid Experience

The influence of the experience of mass vaccination to overcome Covid is evident. The fact that 54.6% of people said they were willing to take an extra dose in the face of increased coverage and efficacy is a demonstration of trust in vaccination. Knowledge of vaccinations appears to be linked to direct experience of them. This is widespread knowledge - as 71.5% of those interviewed consider themselves very (7.5%) or quite informed (64%) -, which reaches its peak with the anti-Covid vaccination, known by almost the entire population (98.7%). The percentages of those who have had vaccinations in the last 3 years are decidedly low, however: if we exclude the anti-Covid vaccination (84.8%) and the anti-flu vaccination (50%), the use of them is not widespread, even in the case of categories that could be more at risk such as chronically ill people.

Too many vaccinations for children, too few for pregnant women

The situation is different regarding vaccinations in childhood: the vast majority of Italians have vaccinated their children (97%). However, the use of vaccinations during pregnancy is much lower: among the women interviewed, only 36.7% have had at least one vaccination and this figure becomes a majority only for women with children aged 0 to 5 years. Overall, the majority (53.1%) of women with children interviewed report that no one advised them to get vaccinated during pregnancy.

Who is at risk?

According to Italians, vaccination is a tool to protect first of all those who are professionally, socially or physically more exposed, and less as a simple strategy to avoid getting sick. At the forefront of those for whom vaccination is considered advisable are healthcare workers (89.3%), people with chronic diseases (86.8%) and people who work or live in environments where contagion is easier such as teachers, hospitalized people (86.7%). The issue of risk perception is also fundamental in guiding the choice of whether to get vaccinated or not: even if 90% of those interviewed have been vaccinated against Covid, only a third are thinking of doing so in the future and just over half will do so against the flu. Despite the almost unanimous recognition of the role of vaccinations in eradicating major diseases such as polio (95.3%) and in protecting the community from the spread of diseases (84.4%), together with that of their individual value as a tool to avoid the spread of diseases and complications (85.2%), these considerations are not sufficient to overcome a cultural attitude that the majority still perceives as more negative than in the past (85.9%), and doubts about the efficacy and safety of vaccinations do not appear to have been completely resolved.

Strategies to improve adherence

It is no coincidence that among the actions proposed by Italians to improve vaccination compliance, two main strategies are indicated: first of all, it is a question of strengthening the information and consultancy function of health professionals (56.3%), also by improving their training on vaccinations (27%) and secondly, of intervening on the organizational and logistical dimension, from home vaccinations for the most vulnerable (25.5%) to improving the functionality of the vaccination services of the Local Health Authorities (23%) up to the expansion of the places where vaccinations can be carried out, first of all in other health facilities, including family doctors' offices and pharmacies and then also in everyday places such as schools.