Canadians Cite Protecting Others as Key Vaccine Motivator, Yet Nearly Half Skipped Respiratory Vaccines Ahead of 2026–2027 Season
核心洞察
Nearly half (48%) of Canadians reported receiving none of the surveyed respiratory vaccines for influenza (搜索), COVID-19 (搜索), pneumococcal disease (搜索), or RSV in the past year.
Helping protect vulnerable individuals and older family members ranked among the leading motivators for vaccination, revealing a gap between intention and action.
Familiarity with influenza (搜索) (98%) and COVID-19 (搜索) (99%) was nearly universal, while awareness of RSV (71%) and pneumococcal disease (搜索) (66%) lagged considerably.
As Canadians mark Immunization Awareness Month, new findings from Merck Canada (搜索)'s latest Pulse Report, conducted by Ipsos, suggest many Canadians may be missing opportunities to proactively help protect their respiratory health as the 2026–2027 respiratory illness season approaches.
Helping protect vulnerable individuals in their community and older family members were among the leading motivators Canadians cited for getting vaccinated. Yet the survey revealed an important gap between intention and action. Nearly half (48%) of respondents reported not receiving any of the surveyed respiratory vaccines in the past 12 months, while almost two-thirds (64%) said they were unsure or unlikely to proactively discuss respiratory illnesses and prevention strategies with a healthcare professional in the next six months.
Awareness and Uptake Gaps Across Respiratory Illnesses
Familiarity with influenza (搜索) and COVID-19 (搜索) was nearly universal among respondents (98% and 99%, respectively), while familiarity was lower for respiratory syncytial virus (搜索) (RSV) (71%) and pneumococcal disease (搜索) (66%).
Reported vaccination rates differed across the respiratory illnesses surveyed, with 44% reporting receipt of an influenza (搜索) vaccine and 34% reporting receipt of a COVID-19 (搜索) vaccine in the past 12 months, compared with 4% for an RSV vaccine and 4% for a pneumococcal vaccine.
Over a quarter of respondents (28%) reported that respiratory illness had disrupted their daily activities in the past year, most commonly causing them to miss gatherings with friends and/or family and use paid sick leave.
The Role of Trusted Healthcare Professionals
"One of the most encouraging findings from this survey is that Canadians clearly recognize the importance of helping protect the people around them," said Matthew Thornhill, Executive Director, Vaccines & HIV Business Unit, Merck Canada (搜索). "However, the findings also point to important gaps in awareness and action. While familiarity with influenza (搜索) and COVID-19 (搜索) remains high, many Canadians are less familiar with other respiratory illnesses such as RSV disease and pneumococcal disease (搜索), and uptake of vaccines that help protect against these illnesses remains low. As respiratory illness season approaches, there is an opportunity to support more informed conversations with trusted healthcare professionals and help Canadians better understand prevention strategies, including vaccine options available to them."
Aligned with findings from other surveys in recent years, the Merck Canada (搜索) Pulse Report found that family physicians, pharmacists and government health websites remain among Canadians' most trusted sources of information on respiratory illness, including vaccine recommendations and eligibility. This trend highlights the important role healthcare professionals and public health organizations can play in supporting informed, shared decision-making. Through discussions tailored to an individual's health needs, medical history and personal preferences, Canadians can better understand and navigate available prevention strategies, including vaccine options, ahead of respiratory illness season.
Survey Methodology
This online survey was conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Merck Canada (搜索) to better understand Canadians' awareness of respiratory illnesses and their prevention behaviours. The survey focused on four vaccine-preventable respiratory illnesses — influenza (搜索) (seasonal flu), COVID-19 (搜索), respiratory syncytial virus (搜索) (RSV) and pneumococcal disease (搜索) (PD) — and explored Canadians' awareness of these illnesses, attitudes toward prevention and respiratory health behaviours ahead of respiratory illness season.
The survey was fielded online between June 18 and June 23, 2026, among 1,000 Canadians aged 25 to 75 through the Ipsos iSay panel. Quotas and weighting were applied to ensure the sample reflected the Canadian population by age, gender and region. The poll is accurate to within ±3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had all Canadians aged 25 to 75 been surveyed. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the population.
Public Health Context
Respiratory illnesses affect the lungs and airways and remain an important public health concern in Canada. Respiratory vaccine-preventable diseases, including influenza (搜索), COVID-19 (搜索), RSV and pneumococcal disease (搜索), continue to contribute to serious illness, hospitalizations, and healthcare utilization in Canada, with older adults and young children among those at greater risk of serious complications. Beyond their impact on health, respiratory illnesses can also affect productivity, caregiving responsibilities and participation in work-related activities. Increasing awareness and encouraging informed conversations about respiratory health may help Canadians better prepare for respiratory illness season.