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title: This Is Where Trust in Vaccines Is Lowest
description: Worldwide, most people believe that vaccines are safe and effective, but the amount that don&#x27;t trust vaccines could threaten immunity.
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author: Jamie Ducharme
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article:published_time: 2019-06-19T17:03:43.000Z
article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T23:47:28.590Z
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og:title: Most People Worldwide Trust That Vaccines Are Safe—But the Amount That Don&#x27;t Is Concerning
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![](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt302f9c203cf14096/6989fecc096a9450616a6867/vaccines.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9)


# Most People Worldwide Trust That Vaccines Are Safe—But the Number Who Don't Is Concerning

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> Last updated: August 2026.

## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ

### Definition

TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=247164bc-30c6-4e09-a2c3-f6bd0b5fe97b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1).

### The seven newsletters

| Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
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Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience.

### Key data points

| Metric | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 |
| Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 |
| Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 |
| Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 |
| Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 |
| US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 |
| Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 |
| Publishing since | 1923 | TIME |

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*   Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically.
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### FAQ

#### What newsletters does TIME publish?

TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers.

#### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to?

It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters.

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![Jamie Ducharme](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee90d03f171c21c6/698a0b45db2987baea2650e7/200115_Time_Headshots_Day451258.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)


![Jamie Ducharme](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee90d03f171c21c6/698a0b45db2987baea2650e7/200115_Time_Headshots_Day451258.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Jamie Ducharme


Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.

Jun 19, 2019 5:03 PM UTC

![Measles vaccine](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt302f9c203cf14096/6989fecc096a9450616a6867/vaccines.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

A nurse prepares the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Rockland County Health Department in Rockland County, New York on April 5, 2019.

A nurse prepares the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at the Rockland County Health Department in Rockland County, New York on April 5, 2019. JOHANNES EISELE—AFP/Getty Images

![Jamie Ducharme](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee90d03f171c21c6/698a0b45db2987baea2650e7/200115_Time_Headshots_Day451258.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1:1)

by 

[Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)


![Jamie Ducharme](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltee90d03f171c21c6/698a0b45db2987baea2650e7/200115_Time_Headshots_Day451258.jpg?branch=production&width=96&quality=75&auto=webp)

## Jamie Ducharme


Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.

Jun 19, 2019 5:03 PM UTC

The majority of people worldwide think vaccines are safe, according to [a new global survey](https://wellcome.ac.uk/sites/default/files/wellcome-global-monitor-2018.pdf)—but the share of doubters is still high enough to threaten immunity.

The survey, conducted by polling group Gallup and health research charity Wellcome, asked more than 140,000 people in 140 countries about their attitudes on a variety of health and science topics, including vaccine safety, trust in doctors and faith in scientists. It comes at a time when vaccines are in the spotlight, thanks to [global measles outbreaks](https://time.com/5570810/global-measles-cases/) fueled partially by resistance to the preventative medicines—even though they’ve been [widely and consistently shown](https://time.com/5530611/vaccines-safe-effective/) to be safe and effective.

Globally, 79% of survey respondents agreed with the statement “vaccines are safe,” while only 7% disagreed; the breakdown of those who felt vaccines are effective was similar. (The remaining people were either unsure or had no opinion.) About 6% of parents worldwide said their children are unvaccinated, mostly in areas such as Africa and Asia where access to vaccines is lower.

While the rate of distrust in vaccines may seem low, developing what experts call “herd immunity”—whereby enough of a population is protected from a disease to minimize its transmission—relies on widespread vaccination, often at levels above 90%. For example, key to eradicating measles in a region is getting that region to at least 95% vaccination coverage, [according to the World Health Organization](https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/2/07-040089/en/).

The Wellcome report found that wealthier regions, where infectious disease rates tend to be relatively low, reported the least trust in vaccines, while poorer regions, which often grapple with high rates of communicable disease, reported the most trust. In France, which experienced a 462% increase in measles cases between 2017 and 2018, a third of people said they felt that vaccines are unsafe. By contrast, nearly all respondents in Bangladesh and Rwanda, two countries that have seen measurable public-health progress following vaccination campaigns, said vaccines are safe and effective. The U.S. landed somewhere in the middle, with 72% of people agreeing that vaccines are safe.


The survey also asked respondents about their general opinions on science and health care providers. Globally, 72% of people had at least a “medium” level of trust in scientists, while 14% had “low” trust. Trust in doctors and nurses was higher worldwide, with 84% reporting at least some trust.

In general, people who said they believe vaccines are safe were also more likely to trust scientists and health professionals, the survey shows. But at the regional level, there are trends that emerge: Poorer regions generally reported stronger belief in vaccines and lower levels of trust in scientists, while wealthier parts of the world—which tend to have better science education programs than poorer areas—tended to have weaker beliefs in vaccine, and higher levels of trust in scientists.

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