U.S. — Among U.S. adults overall, about a quarter to less than half of adults correctly identify any of the CDC-recommended vaccines. For most of the vaccines, the most common response to whether the CDC recommends it during pregnancy is "not sure." For each of four vaccines the CDC recommends during pregnancy, at least 45% of survey respondents are not sure whether the CDC recommends it.

"Our findings suggest that many Americans do not know which vaccines are recommended during pregnancy," said Ken Winneg, managing director of survey research at APPC. "The encouraging news is that relatively few people think that the CDC recommends vaccines that are not advised during pregnancy."

"Many Americans routinely get their immunizations from their primary healthcare providers or at local pharmacies," said Patrick E. Jamieson, director of APPC's Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute. "It is critical that those professionals pay special attention to vaccine recommendations for recipients who are pregnant."

Specific knowledge levels varied by vaccine type. Almost half of survey respondents, or 48%, know that the CDC recommends getting the seasonal flu vaccine during pregnancy. Less than a third of survey respondents know that the CDC recommends the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis), RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), and hepatitis B vaccines if one is not up to date on these vaccinations. Specifically, 23% of survey respondents know that the CDC recommends the hepatitis B vaccine during pregnancy.

Over half of survey respondents do not know whether the CDC recommends the Covid-19 vaccine during pregnancy. The CDC states its Covid-19 vaccine recommendations are "now based on individual decision making, which emphasizes considering the benefits and risks of vaccination." The CDC states that "Covid-19 vaccination offers the greatest benefit if you are at higher risk for severe illness, including if you are pregnant." The CDC also states that "Pregnancy increases your risk of becoming very sick from Covid-19."

Current CDC guidance routinely recommends the seasonal influenza vaccine during flu season for pregnant individuals. The guidance also routinely recommends the Tdap vaccine during every pregnancy, preferably between 27 and 36 weeks' gestation. For RSV, the CDC routinely recommends the vaccine during weeks 32-36, administered during RSV season, which is September through January in most of the continental United States.

The guidance states that additional RSV vaccine doses are not recommended during subsequent pregnancies. CDC guidance also routinely recommends Hepatitis B vaccination for individuals who have not already been vaccinated.

The survey also queried respondents about vaccines the CDC does not recommend during pregnancy: MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), chickenpox (varicella), and human papillomavirus (HPV). Current CDC guidance advises against administering the MMR and chickenpox vaccines during pregnancy because they are live-virus vaccines. The MMR and chickenpox vaccines should be given only before or after pregnancy, according to CDC guidance.

HPV vaccination is not recommended during pregnancy and should be delayed until after pregnancy if needed, according to CDC guidance. Despite these guidelines, 21% of survey respondents say the CDC recommends the MMR vaccine during pregnancy. Additionally, 17% of survey respondents say the CDC recommends human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination during pregnancy, and 17% say the CDC recommends chickenpox (varicella) vaccination during pregnancy. Women of childbearing age are no more likely than others to incorrectly identify MMR, HPV, or chickenpox vaccines as recommended during pregnancy. For the HPV vaccine, 20% of women 18-49 years old incorrectly say it is recommended during pregnancy, compared with 16% of others, which is not a statistically significant difference. For MMR, HPV, and chickenpox vaccines, a majority of respondents are not sure whether the CDC recommends that they should or should not be taken during pregnancy.

The APPC survey was conducted on the research company SSRS's Opinion Panel Omnibus platform among 1,031 U.S. adults from July 1-5, 2026. The survey has a margin of sampling error of ± 3.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Survey respondents were asked whether the CDC recommends each of eight vaccines during pregnancy.