Flu season is around the corner and 46% of respondents to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey on this seasonal topic say they plan to receive the flu vaccine this year. Forty-seven percent (47%) will take their chances by skipping the shot (see crosstabs).

Common symptoms of influenza (“the flu”) include fever, headache, fatigue, congestion and stomach ailments. Each year, the flu affects as much as 20% of the United States population.

Percentages of those who plan to receive the vaccine clearly correlate with age. Less than one-third of respondents (31%) ages 18-29 plan to get the flu shot while nearly three-quarters of individuals (74%) age 65 and older say the same.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), when the flu vaccine is a close match to circulating strains of the virus, flu shots can prevent the illness in 70% to 90% of healthy individuals under age 65. The shot also is effective in mitigating symptoms that might normally lead to hospitalization, pneumonia or even death in elderly individuals and those with compromised immune systems.

Seventy-five percent (75%) of our respondents believe flu shots are effective in preventing influenza outbreaks—29% believe they are “very effective.” Thirteen percent (13%) don’t believe the shots help to prevent the flu; of those individuals, 2% say the shots are “not effective at all.”

One of the reasons frequently used by individuals who plan to skip receiving the flu shot is that they don’t want to get sick from the vaccine. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of respondents to this survey believe that’s a possibility. Not so, says the CDC, because the virus contained in the vaccine has been inactivated.

The CDC estimates that 110 to 115 million doses of the vaccine will be produced this year and our respondents are confident that there will be plenty of the vaccine to go around; only 15% believe there will be a vaccine shortage versus the 72% who believe they are in ready supply.

Confidence falls when respondents are asked if doctors in their community are adequately prepared to handle a flu epidemic. One-third of respondents (33%) believe their community is prepared and 24% disagree.

Crosstabs are available for Premium Members only.

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Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.