Less than half of NC residents report getting flu shot

by Dr, Martin Kifer, High Point University Poll, November 9, 2017.

The most recent High Point University Poll finds that North Carolinians are split over whether they believe adults are healthier today than 20 years ago. Of that same sample, a majority say they have a somewhat healthy lifestyle, and less than half of them report getting a flu shot in the last year.

The poll asked North Carolina residents whether they thought the health of the adult population in the state was generally better today than 20 years ago or worse. The results show a split between the 41 percent who say the health of adults in North Carolina is better today and the 44 percent who say the general health of that population is worse.

When North Carolinians reflect on their own lifestyles, however, most (62 percent) say they have at least a somewhat healthy lifestyle. Another quarter (28 percent) of the people who responded to the poll called their own lifestyle “very healthy.”

Of those surveyed, 29 percent said they had seen a health care provider about the flu in the past year, and a larger percentage (44 percent) say that they have had a flu shot within the past 12 months.

“In North Carolina, we still have some work to do with educating our residents about the importance of getting the flu vaccine each year,” says Dr. Joy Greene, professor of pharmacy in HPU’s Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy. “During the 2015-2016 flu season, the CDC estimated that 310,000 people were hospitalized for flu-related illness. Some of these hospitalizations may have been prevented if more people would have received their flu vaccine.”

All adults – Health compared to 20 years ago (October/November 2017)

Now I have some questions about health. Compared with 20 years ago, do you think the health of the ADULT POPULATION in North Carolina as a whole is generally…

Better today – 41 percent

Worse today – 44 percent

(About the same) – 9 percent

(Don’t know/refuse) – 6 percent

(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed Oct. 27 – Nov. 4, 2017, n = 352 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 5.2 percent)

All adults – Healthy lifestyles (October/November 2017)

Overall, would you say you, personally, have a….

Very healthy lifestyle – 28 percent

Somewhat healthy lifestyle – 62 percent

Not very healthy lifestyle – 10 percent

Not at all healthy lifestyle – less than one percent

(Don’t know/refuse) – 1 percent

(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed Oct. 27 – Nov. 4, 2017, n = 352 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 5.2 percent)

All adults – Health care providers and flu (October/November 2017)

Have you seen a health care provider for the flu in the past 12 months, or not?

Yes – 29 percent

No – 71 percent

(Don’t know/refuse) – 1 percent

(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed Oct. 27 – Nov. 4, 2017, n = 352 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 5.2 percent)

All adults – Health care providers and flu (October/November 2017)

Have you had a flu shot within the PAST 12 MONTHS?

Yes – 44 percent

No – 56 percent

(Don’t know/refuse) – 1 percent

(All adult (North Carolina resident) sample surveyed Oct. 27 – Nov. 4, 2017, n = 352 and margin of sampling error approximately = +/- 5.2 percent)

The most recent HPU Poll was fielded by live interviewers at the High Point University Survey Research Center calling on Oct. 17 – Nov. 4, 2017. The responses from a sample of all North Carolina counties came from 352 adults with landline or cellular telephones. The survey has an estimated margin of sampling error of approximately 5.2 percentage points for all adult respondents. The data is weighted toward population estimates for cellular and landline telephone use, age, gender, race, education, and party identification. In addition to sampling error, factors such as question wording and other methodological choices in conducting survey research can introduce additional error into the findings of opinion polls. Details from this survey are available at http://www.highpoint.edu/src/files/2017/11/54memoA.pdf.

Further results and methodological details from the most recent survey and past studies can be found at the Survey Research Center website at http://www.highpoint.edu/src/. The materials online include past press releases as well as memos summarizing the findings (including approval ratings) for each poll since 2010.

The HPU Poll reports methodological details in accordance with the standards set out by AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative, and the HPU Survey Research Center is a Charter Member of the Initiative. For more information, see

http://transparency.aapor.org/index.php/transparency.

You can follow the HPU Poll on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HPUSurveyCenter.

Dr. Martin Kifer, department chair and associate professor of political science, serves as the director of the HPU Poll, and Brian McDonald serves as the associate director of the HPU Poll and an adjunct professor of survey research methods.

http://www.highpoint.edu/blog/2017/11/hpu-poll-less-than-half-of-nc-residents-report-getting-flu-shot/