Around 27 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 45 in Switzerland have received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. This is shown by a new nationwide study by the University of Zurich with verified vaccination data.

There are particularly large differences by age and gender: almost 59 percent of 18- to 26-year-olds have been vaccinated, compared to only 16 percent of 27- to 45-year-olds. The vaccination rate is significantly higher among women (43 percent) than among men (12 percent). The differences can be explained by the late introduction of vaccination and the initial recommendation for girls only.

The study also shows a strong correlation between knowledge, attitudes and vaccination behaviour. In the group with good knowledge and a positive attitude, 41 percent have been vaccinated, in the skeptical group only 14 percent and in the group with little knowledge only 8 percent.

Recommendations from doctors play a central role. Many vaccinated people cited a doctor’s recommendation as the decisive reason. At the same time, more than half of the unvaccinated said they had not received such a recommendation.

“Our results show that targeted information and personal approach – especially in the medical consultation – are crucial,” said first author Kyra Zens from the Institute of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Preventive Medicine at the University of Zurich.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Network Open on 23 March 2026 (DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.2780).

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

Gender Notice. The personal designations used in this text always refer equally to female, male and diverse persons. Double/triple naming and gendered designations are used for better readability. ected.