France exhibits the highest level of vaccine skepticism worldwide. According to a comprehensive international survey by the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, 41% of French respondents believe vaccines are not safe—more than three times the global average.
Researchers surveyed over 65,000 individuals across 67 countries from September to December 2015, posing four key questions on vaccine importance for children, safety, efficacy, and religious compatibility. The results, published in EBioMedicine, show seven of the top ten most skeptical nations are European: France (41%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (36%), Russia (28%), Mongolia (27%), Greece (25%, tied with Japan and Ukraine), Armenia (21%), and Slovenia (22%). In France, 17% question vaccine effectiveness, and 12% see childhood vaccines as unimportant.
Study authors attribute France's attitudes to controversies over the past two decades, including hepatitis B vaccine side effects, HPV vaccines (Gardasil, Cervarix) for genital cancer prevention, and the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine. Hesitancy among general practitioners and religious concerns—with over 10% citing beliefs (e.g., Vatican reservations on rubella vaccine production)—also play roles. These findings underscore the need for evidence-based public health communication.
