Nearly three-fourths of readers surveyed said they get the flu vaccine at least occasionally. Most believe it prevents them from getting the seasonal illness.
A majority of Healthline readers get a flu shot every year, and most believe it prevents them from coming down with the illness.
The folks who get the shots are also just as likely to get them at a pharmacy as they are at a medical clinic.
Those are the results of an online survey taken by Healthline readers during the past week.
In all, more than 5,300 people participated in the survey.
The survey was done as the 2016-2017 flu season is getting under way.
Officials at the
The CDC reports there will be new vaccines on the market this year that have been updated to better match the current circulating viruses.
CDC officials are recommending only injectable flu vaccines this season. They are not recommending people use a nasal spray, saying that method isn’t as effective as the shots.
Healthline readers seem to be convinced that getting a flu shot is a good idea.
Slightly more than 60 percent said they get the vaccine every year.
Another 13 percent said they sometimes get a flu shot, but not every year.
Almost 26 percent said they do not receive a flu shot.
Of those who get flu shots, almost 79 percent said they get one annually.
Another 18 percent said they sometimes get the vaccine, while 3 percent said they got the shot only on one occasion.
Almost 63 percent of respondents said they’re getting a flu shot this year.
About 23 percent said they aren’t, while 14 percent haven’t decided.
Of those who don’t get the shot, 33 percent said they’re healthy without it.
Almost 28 percent said they were concerned about side effects, while almost 10 percent said they feel the shot doesn’t work.
Another 5 percent listed financial or insurance reasons, while a similar number said they’re allergic to the vaccine.
Read more: Why so many adults, children don’t get flu shots »
Of those who have received the vaccine in the past, more than 70 percent said they believed the shot kept them from getting the flu.
Almost 7 percent said it didn’t help prevent the flu, while another 23 percent weren’t sure.
More than 38 percent felt the vaccine was “very effective” in preventing the flu, while almost 30 percent felt it was “somewhat effective.”
About 10 percent felt it was either “not very effective” or “not at all effective.”
About 21 percent weren’t sure.
In addition, more than 78 percent said they did not come down with the flu after getting the shot.
More than 6 percent said they did come down with the illness after getting the vaccine, while almost 15 percent said they weren’t sure.
Read more: Why it’s important for grandparents to get vaccinated »
Most Healthline readers who get the vaccine appear to go to either a clinic or a pharmacy.
In the survey, about 31 percent said they go to an outpatient facility, and a similar percentage said they go to a pharmacy like Walgreens or CVS.
About 13 percent said they get inoculated at work, while almost 25 percent listed other locations.
Almost 70 percent of the survey respondents were female.
In addition, more than three-fourths were people over the age of 45.
Almost 18 percent of respondents said they had children under 18 living at home.
Of those, nearly 44 percent said their children will be getting flu shots this year.
About 30 percent said their children won’t be getting vaccinated, while 26 percent hadn’t decided yet.