Most Americans continue to support early hepatitis B vaccination for newborns, according to a recent national survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC). The survey results come as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., prepares to consider changes to longstanding vaccination recommendations.
Since 1991, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that infants receive a dose of hepatitis B vaccine at birth. ACIP, whose members were appointed by Kennedy after he dismissed previous committee members, will decide whether to advise the CDC to alter this recommendation. While ACIP's guidance is not legally binding, it influences insurance coverage and government program decisions regarding vaccinations.
Hepatitis B infection can lead to serious health problems such as liver damage, liver cancer, and death. Kennedy has argued that most infants are not at risk of contracting hepatitis B. However, universal infant and childhood vaccination programs have been associated with a 99% decrease in acute hepatitis B cases among people under 19 in the United States. A review by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy Vaccine Integrity Project examined over 400 studies and found no evidence supporting delayed vaccination.
The APPC survey asked 1,637 adults about their views on hepatitis B vaccination between November 17 and December 1, 2025. When asked if they would recommend that a newborn in their household receive the vaccine, 77% said they would be very likely or somewhat likely to do so. About 23% indicated they would be unlikely to recommend it.
Support varied by political affiliation: large majorities of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents (90%), Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (65%), and non-leaning independents (71%) expressed likelihood to recommend the vaccine for newborns. However, Republicans were less likely than Democrats to support immediate vaccination.
When respondents were asked about the youngest age at which they would recommend hepatitis B vaccination, approximately one-third chose birth (35%). Other responses included one month old (16%), four years old (14%), twelve years old (11%), nineteen years old (7%), while sixteen percent said they would not recommend the vaccine at all. Democrats were twice as likely as Republicans to endorse vaccinating children at birth.
Regarding knowledge about what disease the hepatitis B vaccine protects against, only 40% correctly identified liver disease from a list of options. Thirty-two percent said they were unsure; other incorrect answers included herpes (10%) and chronic kidney disease (7%).
The survey was conducted by SSRS for APPC as part of its Annenberg Science and Public Health Knowledge panel. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
"More than three quarters indicate that they would be either very likely or somewhat likely to recommend that a newborn in their household be vaccinated against hepatitis B," according to APPC findings.
APPC's ASAPH team includes research analyst Laura A. Gibson; Patrick E. Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute; and Ken Winneg, managing director of survey research.
