{"id":5901,"date":"2019-08-20T10:22:45","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T10:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/?p=5901"},"modified":"2020-11-09T08:59:24","modified_gmt":"2020-11-09T08:59:24","slug":"do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/","title":{"rendered":"Do Vaccines Cause Autism? New Kolabtree Study Explores Public Views"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_45_1 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" area-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-69f2cedceca21\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69f2cedceca21\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/#Do_Vaccines_Cause_Autism\" title=\"Do Vaccines Cause Autism?\">Do Vaccines Cause Autism?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/#Why_We_Conducted_This_Study\" title=\"Why We Conducted This Study\">Why We Conducted This Study<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/#1_Do_You_Believe_Vaccines_Cause_Autism\" title=\"1. Do You Believe Vaccines Cause Autism?\">1. Do You Believe Vaccines Cause Autism?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/#2_Do_You_Believe_the_Dangers_of_Vaccinations_Outweigh_the_Benefits\" title=\"2. Do You Believe the Dangers of Vaccinations Outweigh the Benefits?\">2. Do You Believe the Dangers of Vaccinations Outweigh the Benefits?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/#3_Have_You_Personally_Seen_Any_Anti-Vaccine_Content_on_One_or_More_of_the_Following_Platforms\" title=\"3. Have You Personally Seen Any Anti-Vaccine Content on One or More of the Following Platforms?\">3. Have You Personally Seen Any Anti-Vaccine Content on One or More of the Following Platforms?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/#4_Do_You_Think_the_Post_Below_Is_a_Credible_Source_of_Information_about_Vaccines\" title=\"4. Do You Think the Post Below Is a Credible Source of Information about Vaccines?\">4. Do You Think the Post Below Is a Credible Source of Information about Vaccines?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/#5_Do_You_Think_That_the_Account_in_the_Picture_Below_Is_a_Credible_Source_of_Information_about_Vaccines\" title=\"5. Do You Think That the Account in the Picture Below Is a Credible Source of Information about Vaccines?\">5. Do You Think That the Account in the Picture Below Is a Credible Source of Information about Vaccines?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/#6_Facebook_Google_Amazon_and_Other_Companies_Have_Pledged_to_Reduce_the_Visibility_of_Anti-Vaccine_Information_Do_You_See_Less_Anti-Vaccine_Content_Online_Now\" title=\"6. Facebook, Google, Amazon and Other Companies Have Pledged to Reduce the Visibility of Anti-Vaccine Information. Do You See Less Anti-Vaccine Content Online Now?\">6. Facebook, Google, Amazon and Other Companies Have Pledged to Reduce the Visibility of Anti-Vaccine Information. Do You See Less Anti-Vaccine Content Online Now?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/#What_We_Learned_from_This_Study\" title=\"What We Learned from This Study\">What We Learned from This Study<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><b>The subject of vaccinations and autism is one that divides people and evokes a great deal of heated debate. Do vaccines cause autism? What does the science say? And what does the UK public really believe? In our new study, we canvassed opinion to see how pervasive bad science can be.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inaccurate or misleading medical information is dangerous. It can stop people getting the medical attention they need, and it can cause someone to act in a way that is far from optimal for their health. As <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/journalofethics.ama-assn.org\/article\/why-health-professionals-should-speak-out-against-false-beliefs-internet\/2018-11\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one source states<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the \u201cbroad dissemination and consumption of false or misleading health information, amplified by the internet, poses risks to public health and problems for both the healthcare enterprise and the government.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When discussing misleading medical information and health myths in general, there is no better example than that of the link between vaccines and autism. The topic provokes a lot of passion and, in many situations, anger. To understand the public\u2019s perception of vaccines and whether or not they cause autism, the team at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/?utm_source=Blog&amp;utm_medium=Post&amp;utm_campaign=Vaccines-Autism\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kolabtree<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> conducted a study. This seeks to explore how medical misinformation is spread, how pervasive and dangerous misleading medical information can be and the role the internet plays in the spread of this information.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_Vaccines_Cause_Autism\"><\/span><b>Do Vaccines Cause Autism?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we go on to look further into the reasons behind the study and what it revealed, we feel it\u2019s necessary to discuss the science. Do vaccines cause autism?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The short answer is no. Vaccines don\u2019t cause autism. There has been a recent major population-wide cohort study that has confirmed, yet again, that there is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/news\/medication\/no-link-between-mmr-and-autism-major-study-finds\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">no proven link between autism and the MMR vaccine<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But this study is far from an isolated one. Over the years, many reputable studies have been conducted and there is, as of yet, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.historyofvaccines.org\/content\/articles\/do-vaccines-cause-autism\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">no provable connection<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> between autism and MMR.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In an ideal world, this knowledge would be enough to put a parent\u2019s mind at rest, and yet the MMR-autism link continues to endure and studies continue to be carried out, eating up valuable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/ensuring-reproducibility-in-ai-driven-research-how-freelance-experts-can-help-in-biotech-and-healthcare\/\">research<\/a> time and funding that could be used to make advances in autism. But why is this connection still so pervasive? Where did this health myth come from in the first place?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why Do People Believe Vaccines Cause Autism?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This medical myth was born in 1997 following the publication of a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.publichealth.org\/public-awareness\/understanding-vaccines\/vaccine-myths-debunked\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">study by British surgeon Andrew Wakefield<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The article was published in The Lancet, a prestigious medical journal, and suggested that the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine was increasing the occurrence of autism in British children.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study in question involved eight children. This is remarkable when we consider the fallout that would eventually happen, and it highlights the importance of safeguarding the public from false medical information. The study was immediately refuted and discredited due to serious procedural errors, ethical violations and undisclosed financial conflicts of interest. The paper was retracted from The Lancet and Wakefield lost his medical license.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, the damage was done. Terrified parents had heard the news and had begun to delay, or outright refuse, the vaccination for their children. Vaccine <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/life-style\/health-and-families\/despite-scepticism-europe-has-high-vaccination-rates-but-it-shouldn-t-be-complacent-a7702081.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">uptake in Britain plummeted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Even today, the number of paediatricians reporting vaccine refusals has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthleadersmedia.com\/strategy\/anti-vax-movement-growing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased significantly<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Since the paper published in The Lancet, rumours have run rampant and misinformation has been spread and amplified by the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_We_Conducted_This_Study\"><\/span><b>Why We Conducted This Study<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With this study, we wanted to get an accurate reflection of people\u2019s attitudes towards this health myth.\u00a0 Concern over the MMR jab seems particularly pertinent today, given that the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2019\/08\/19\/boris-johnson-takes-anti-vaxxers-uk-loses-measles-free-status-10593190\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UK has recently lost its \u2018Measles-Free\u2019 status<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the World Health Organisation (WHO), three years after the virus was eliminated in the UK. Today, only 87.2% of British children have their second dose of the jab, down from 88.6% in 2014-2015. There have been 231 confirmed cases of measles in the UK in the first quarter of 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As medical experts and researchers, we wanted to explore whether people really believe that vaccines cause autism and examine whether or not, in the age of social media, the public is more easily misled by medical misinformation. Finally, we wanted to discover whether or not the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/how-healthcare-companies-can-recover-from-the-medic-update-in-3-steps\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Medic Update<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has had a significant impact on the number of people viewing, and being influenced by, inaccurate medical information regarding vaccines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below, we discuss the questions we asked the public and the responses that were provided.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Do_You_Believe_Vaccines_Cause_Autism\"><\/span><b>1. Do You Believe Vaccines Cause Autism?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5904 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine1-1024x329.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"702\" height=\"226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine1-1024x329.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine1-300x96.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine1-768x247.png 768w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine1.png 1028w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The results of this question are fairly comforting. Of our sample size, it appears that the majority of people firmly believe there to be no connection between the MMR vaccine and autism.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When looking at the difference between the views of men and women, there is a slight but insignificant difference. More women (66.5%) than men (63.9%) answered that they don\u2019t believe in any causal relationship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to our research, the age group that is most likely to believe that vaccines cause autism are those aged 35-44 (11%). In this group, 16% of men said they believed vaccines cause autism compared to only 4.7% of women. However, women tend to be more uncertain. Of this age group. 32.3% of women said that they aren&#8217;t sure about the relationship \u2014 compared to just 15% of men.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is slightly concerning about this data is the number of people who are undecided about the relationship between vaccines and autism. Despite the studies and facts available, some people have room for doubt. In fact, if you add up those who believe that there <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a connection between autism and vaccines and those who are uncertain, we can see that 34.7% of the population has been negatively impacted by false medical information.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Do_You_Believe_the_Dangers_of_Vaccinations_Outweigh_the_Benefits\"><\/span><b>2. Do You Believe the Dangers of Vaccinations Outweigh the Benefits?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5905 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1026\" height=\"317\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine2.png 1026w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine2-300x93.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine2-1024x316.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine2-768x237.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1026px) 100vw, 1026px\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we can see, 62.6% of people believe that the dangers of vaccinations don\u2019t outweigh the benefits. However, 16.5% of people believe the dangers are too much of a risk, while 21% are uncertain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Incredibly, while only 12.4% of women said they believe the dangers of vaccinations outweigh the benefits offered, a notable 20.6% of the men in our survey said they believe the dangers outweighed the benefits.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those aged 65+ are the most inclined to believe that vaccinations are more dangerous than beneficial (29.5%). When we compare this to the 7.8% of 25-34 year-olds who believe the same, we can clearly state that the younger the generation, the more comfortable the participants were with the safety of vaccines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Have_You_Personally_Seen_Any_Anti-Vaccine_Content_on_One_or_More_of_the_Following_Platforms\"><\/span><b>3. Have You Personally Seen Any Anti-Vaccine Content on One or More of the Following Platforms?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5907 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1013\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine4.png 1013w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine4-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine4-768x378.png 768w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine4-164x82.png 164w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our results revealed that, on the whole, people aren\u2019t seeing much anti-vax material on social media but when they do, it\u2019s predominantly on Facebook.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our results also showed that more young people (particularly those aged 18-24) have seen anti-vaccine content on social media. This is likely because they are spending more time on these platforms. Those who have seen the least amount of content on these platforms are aged 65+.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Do_You_Think_the_Post_Below_Is_a_Credible_Source_of_Information_about_Vaccines\"><\/span><b>4. Do You Think the Post Below Is a Credible Source of Information about Vaccines?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5906 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1033\" height=\"329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine3.png 1033w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine3-300x96.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine3-1024x326.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine3-768x245.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1033px) 100vw, 1033px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5908 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1152\" height=\"583\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine5.png 1152w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine5-300x152.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine5-1024x518.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine5-768x389.png 768w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine5-1080x547.png 1080w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine5-474x240.png 474w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine5-164x82.png 164w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1152px) 100vw, 1152px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The majority of our participants were distrustful of this social media account, with 90.9% saying that it isn&#8217;t a credible source of information. Only 9.1% believe it to be trustworthy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While both men and women overwhelmingly think this is a poor source of information, more women (94.2%) than men (87.2%) believe this to be the case.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Do_You_Think_That_the_Account_in_the_Picture_Below_Is_a_Credible_Source_of_Information_about_Vaccines\"><\/span><b>5. Do You Think That the Account in the Picture Below Is a Credible Source of Information about Vaccines?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5910 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine7-1024x310.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"702\" height=\"213\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine7-1024x310.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine7-300x91.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine7-768x232.png 768w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine7.png 1025w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5909 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine6-1024x375.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"702\" height=\"257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine6-1024x375.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine6-300x110.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine6-768x281.png 768w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine6.png 1033w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As with the previous question, we can see that most people are critical of anti-vax social media accounts, with 86.5% of people believing that this is not a credible source of information about vaccines, versus just 13.5% who feel it is.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Facebook_Google_Amazon_and_Other_Companies_Have_Pledged_to_Reduce_the_Visibility_of_Anti-Vaccine_Information_Do_You_See_Less_Anti-Vaccine_Content_Online_Now\"><\/span><b>6. Facebook, Google, Amazon and Other Companies Have Pledged to Reduce the Visibility of Anti-Vaccine Information. Do You See Less Anti-Vaccine Content Online Now?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-5911 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.kolabtree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine8.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"983\" height=\"332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine8.png 983w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine8-300x101.png 300w, https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccine8-768x259.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 983px) 100vw, 983px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After doctors questioned whether companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/tech-companies-fight-against-vaccine-misinformation-prompts-free-speech-debate\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">share part of the blame<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in the rise of children going unvaccinated, these same companies agreed to take steps to limit the spread of this misinformation. It seems that by and large, people are not consciously aware of this change, with 72.4% of people saying they are not sure whether they are seeing more or less content relating to vaccinations and autism. 17.8%, however, have become consciously aware of less anti-vax content on social media, which is a positive first step and promising news for medical information in general.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_We_Learned_from_This_Study\"><\/span><b>What We Learned from This Study<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, this study was reassuring in confirming that most people appear to have a level head when it comes to the science of MMR vaccines and autism. The majority of people don\u2019t believe in the relationship and aren\u2019t swayed by misleading social media accounts. The fact that there are so many people who appear undecided, however, is worrying. It further supports that it is vital that companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon take measures to prevent people from getting exposed to misleading \u2014 and dangerous \u2014 medical content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>&#8212;<br \/>\nAre you looking for a qualified professional scientist who can help you carry out research studies or verify information? <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/find-an-expert?utm_source=Blog&amp;utm_medium=Post&amp;utm_campaign=Vaccines-Autism\"><b>Hire freelance scientists on Kolabtree<\/b><\/a><b> and rest assured that your project is in capable hands.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><em>&#8212;<br \/>\nFind <a href=\"https:\/\/jooble.org\/jobs-medical\">medical jobs<\/a> from top employers.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The subject of vaccinations and autism is one that divides people and evokes a great deal of heated debate. Do vaccines cause autism? What does the science say? And what does the UK public really believe? In our new study, we canvassed opinion to see how pervasive bad science can be. Inaccurate or misleading medical<\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/\" title=\"Read More\">Read More<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[314],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.1 (Yoast SEO v20.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Do Vaccines Cause Autism? Study Explores Public Views | Kolabtree<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do vaccines cause autism? Our new study reveals generational and gender divides and examines public views to explore the pervasiveness of bad science\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do Vaccines Cause Autism? New Kolabtree Study Explores Public Views\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Do vaccines cause autism? Our new study reveals generational and gender divides and examines public views to explore the pervasiveness of bad science\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/do-vaccines-cause-autism-new-kolabtree-study-explores-public-views\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Kolabtree Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kolabtree\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-08-20T10:22:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-11-09T08:59:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kolabtree.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/vaccines-autism-poll.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ramya Sriram\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@kolabtree\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kolabtree\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ramya Sriram\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Do Vaccines Cause Autism? 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