President Obama may have declared swine flu a national emergency, but the number of Americans who plan to get a flu shot is virtually unchanged from a year ago.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 53% of adults plan to get a flu shot this year, compared to 54% in 2008, despite the much-publicized outbreak of swine flu.

Forty percent (40%) do not intend to get a flu shot. In October of last year, 44% said they weren’t getting one.

In similar surveys in 2006 and 2007, Americans were more evenly divided when asked whether they intended to get a flu shot or not.

Just 25% say they are more likely to get a flu shot this year because of the outbreak of swine flu, but 21% say that outbreak makes them less likely to do so. Most adults (51%) say swine flu has no impact on their decision whether to get a shot.

The new survey was taken Friday and Saturday nights. The president declared the national emergency on Saturday to give the government and medical facilities greater flexibility if there is an unusually large number of swine flu patients. It is important to note, too, that Rasmussen Reports’ survey questions asked about “flu” shots, not “swine flu” shots.

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Seventy-eight percent (78%) of Americans believe flu shots are at least somewhat effective in preventing flu outbreaks. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say they are very effective. Only 13% say the shots are not very or not at all effective. These numbers, too, are virtually identical to the findings a year ago.

But one-in-three Americans (33%) have concerns about the shot itself: That’s the percentage who say it is possible to get the flu from a flu shot. Forty-five percent (45%) disagree and say it is not possible. Twenty-three percent (23%) aren’t sure.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says it is not possible to get the flu from the shot because the virus in the shot has been inactivated.

Seventy-two percent (72%) of adults 65 and older plan to get a flu shot this year. Those ages 30 to 49 are more likely not to get a shot.

Most married Americans (56%) intend to get a shot, while unmarrieds are evenly divided. Only 44% of those with children living with them plan to get a flu shot, compared to 61% of those without children.

Perhaps not surprisingly since swine flu has an unusually high incidence rate among young people, 32% of those ages 18 to 29 say they are more likely to get a flu shot this year because of the swine flu outbreak. This is higher than in any other age group.

In a survey in April, 44% of all adults said they get a flu shot every year.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of Americans are at least somewhat confident that enough testing has been done on the swine flu vaccine for it to be safely offered this fall. But just 14% are very confident of that fact.

Sixty-five percent (65%) of all Americans say they are at least somewhat likely to get the swine flu vaccine if it becomes available.

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