Will Americans choose H1N1 vaccine? Depends on who asks and when and ...

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Maybe whether Americans line up to get the shot against the novel H1N1 virus comes down to this: Wait and see.

- In a survey released today, 40% of U.S. adults said they were ‘absolutely certain’ they’d get the vaccine against the so-called swine flu. Among parents, 51% were ‘absolutely certain’ they’d get the vaccine for their kids.

That poll, by Harvard School of Public Health researchers, was designed to explore the reasons other folks were on the fence about -- or opposed to -- the vaccine. The main reasons: fear of side effects; lack of concern about the virus; confidence in medication that could treat it.

Here’s the link to that news release, through which you can reach the survey results and various charts.

- In a survey released Wednesday, 34% of adults said they would get the vaccine. Among parents, 35% said they would have their children vaccinated.

That poll, from Consumer Reports, suggested that many of those at high risk of complications were unaware of the fact.

Here’s more information on those results.

- And in a survey released last week, 40% of parents said they intended to vaccinate their children against the flu. Of note, Latino parents were more inclined to get the vaccine for their kids than were white parents and black parents.

Here’s that report, from C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll, and an earlier Booster Shots post about it.

- Meanwhile, the public seems pretty clear on whether healthcare workers should be immunized. Among the general public, 87% say healthcare workers should be required to get the vaccine. Only 38% of those workers intend to do so.

That poll, also from C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll, was released Thursday. Here’s that report, plus an earlier Booster Shots blog post.

Of course, perception of these polls can also depend on the spin.... Here’s Reuters’ take on today’s Harvard poll: New survey suggests Americans keen for H1N1 vaccine

And here’s the Boston Globe’s version: People aren’t sure they’ll get swine flu vaccine, poll says

-- Tami Dennis