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The World Autism Views Project 2011 By Relate To Autism Examined The Vaccine-Autism Link To See How Far Around The World The Idea Spread

A study published in Pediatrics in 2010 explored parental beliefs to vaccines with an online survey of 1,552 parents in the US. They found that about 25% of U.S. parents believed that some vaccines can cause autism in healthy children.

How is all this conflicting media coverage impacting public attitudes towards vaccines around the world? The World Autism Views Project by Relate to Autism launched an online survey in 31 languages to find out how far around the world the vaccine-autism link has travelled.

The statement "vaccines can cause autism" was one of 38 statements respondents of the World Autism Views survey were asked to rate as true or false. Of the 2,274 people from 99 countries who responded to this statement, 30% thought it was true that vaccinations can cause autism. The majority, 51% thought the idea that vaccinations can cause autism was false (the rest said they didn't know enough to answer).

Statistical analysis showed that there were regional differences in how people responded to this statement. North Americans were the group most likely to believe that vaccines can cause autism, 41% rated this statement as true. The regional group least likely to believe that vaccines cause autism was the Latin Americans, only 23% rated the statement as true. The difference in answers between these two groups was statistically significant.

The researchers broke these data down further to look more closely at who within each region believes that vaccines can cause autism. They found that a person’s relationship to an individual with autism was a significant factor. Parents and grandparents of children with autism from all regions, on average, rated the "vaccines can cause autism" statement as true. Those identifying themselves as autistic, an autism professional, a family member of someone with autism or "other" interest, on average, believed that vaccines do not cause autism.

Within the group of parents of children with autism there were again clear regional differences in the belief that vaccines can cause autism. Of the 272 parents of children with autism living in Asia surveyed, 31% thought it true that vaccines can cause autism. Similarly, 31% of the 130 parents of children with autism living in Eastern Europe thought it true that vaccines can cause autism.

A larger proportion of parents in the Western world believe that autism can be caused by vaccines, of the 148 parents asked in Northern and Western Europe 44% thought it true and 51% of the 209 North American parents believed that vaccines can cause autism.

Clearly a much higher proportion of parents of children with autism, and the general public, in the West believe that vaccines can cause autism. While this idea appears to have traveled to every other part of the world, it is not held as strongly by parents, or the general public, in regions outside the West.

The results of the World Autism Views Project are available at http://www.relatetoautism.com/articles/world-autism-views-project-2011-how-does-the-world-see-autism.html.

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