[How do we catch flu? Beliefs in France in 2010]

Our goals were to describe beliefs held by French people concerning the contagiosity of influenza and analyze the relationship of these beliefs with vaccination against seasonal flu.A subsample (4749 people aged 15-79) of the Health Barometer 2010 responded to questions dealing with influenza. Responses were analyzed using clustering analysis and logistic regression.Overall, observed beliefs were quite good, but also socially differentiated. 'False' beliefs were more frequent among people with a lower socioeconomic status. Those who overestimated the contagiosity of influenza were less likely to have been vaccinated against seasonal influenza in 2008.The beliefs analyzed here were associated with vaccination behaviors. 'False' beliefs may be difficult to change as they are nevertheless coherent. These beliefs also exhibit social inequalities that should be taken into account when determining preventive measures.