Our survey of over 2,000 people (YouGov) found that around 3 in 4 people said they would be willing to get a vaccination to help reduce the risk of six types of cancer if they were eligible. Yet only 1 in 2 said they would get the HPV vaccination, which does help to reduce the risk of six types of cancer.
What is cervical cancer?
Cervical cancer is cancer of the cervix (which connects the womb and vagina and is sometimes called the neck of the womb). Cervical cancer can affect anyone with a cervix at any age and is most common in women between the ages of 30-34. Every day in the UK, two women lose their lives to cervical cancer and nine more receive a life-changing diagnosis. We have a real opportunity to change this.
Cervical cancer prevention
Cervical cancer is almost wholly preventable, and the government and NHS England have launched their plan to eliminate it by 2040. To get us to our goal of cervical cancer elimination, three key things are needed:
9 in 10
girls vaccinated as part of the schools’ HPV vaccination programme or catch-up programme
7 in 10
women and people with a cervix screened as part of the cervical screening programme
9 in 10
women and people with a cervix who have precancerous cell changes, or cancer, identified and treated.
HPV and its role in cervical cancer
Nearly all cervical cancers are caused by high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a common virus, 4 in 5 people will get it at some point during their lives.
HPV is transmitted by any skin-to-skin sexual contact, this includes sexual touch, oral, vaginal, anal sex and sharing sex toys.
You can get HPV from just one sexual experience, and you do not need to have had penetrative sex to get HPV. HPV can lay dormant in the body for many years or even decades, so it’s almost impossible to tell when you got it. You can have HPV even if you haven’t been sexually active, or have had one partner, for many years.
In most cases, HPV is cleared by the immune system and doesn’t cause any issues. Sometimes, if high-risk strains of HPV persist, they can lead to the development of some head and neck cancers, anal, penile, cervical, vulval and vaginal cancers.
1 in 2
Only 1 in 2 people we surveyed were aware that cervical cancer can be caused by HPV.
around
1 in 3
Awareness was even lower for the other five cancers – around 1 in 3 were aware HPV could cause vulval and vaginal cancers.
around
1 in 5
Around 1 in 5 people were aware HPV could cause anal and penile cancers.
8 in 100
Just 8 in 100 people are aware HPV could cause head and neck cancers.
HPV vaccination
There is a HPV vaccination which is offered to children aged 12-13 as part of the schools’ vaccination programme. It helps protect against HPV-related cancers and genital warts. The vaccination is most effective before having any sexual contact, which is why the vaccination is offered in year 8/S2 at school.
The HPV vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect against HPV-related cancers. Evidence shows the vaccine has already cut cervical cancer rates by 90% in England. In Scotland, there hasn’t been a single case of cervical cancer in women who were vaccinated since the schools’ programme was introduced for girls in 2008. During the 2019-20 academic year, the programme was extended and now also covers year 8/S2 boys.
Data released by NHS England in July 2025 shows that in the 2023/24 academic year 76.7% of girls and 71.2% of boys were vaccinated against HPV by Year 10. We need to increase uptake of the vaccine to get to our goal of eliminating cervical cancer to 90% of girls being vaccinated by age 15.
There is a catch-up programme for the vaccine where it is available for free on the NHS at your GP surgery until you are 25 if you missed it at school, or up to 45 for certain higher risk groups, or privately. Out of the people we surveyed between 18-24 year olds, many of which will be eligible for the HPV vaccination as part of the catch-up programme, 4 in 5 said they would be willing to get a vaccination if it helped reduce the risk of six cancers.
MEET EVIE
who got the HPV vaccination at her GP as part of the catch up programme, she says:
I got the HPV vaccine a bit later than the age it’s usually offered, but I still really wanted to go and have it. For me, it just didn’t feel worth the risk not to. HPV is incredibly common, and while not everyone will have complications from it, some people do and if there’s a simple way to reduce that risk, I wanted to take it. Hearing about places like Australia being on track to eliminate cervical cancer because of vaccination and screening programmes feels like reason enough. It shows that this stuff really works. If you’re eligible and unsure, I’d say: go if you can. It’s one of those choices that future you will probably be very grateful for.
We hope by raising awareness of the HPV vaccination and the important role it plays in cancer prevention, not just of cervical cancer, but of six types of cancer, we can help increase uptake and get us closer to our goal of eliminating cervical cancer.
More information
We have lots more information on HPV, the HPV vaccination, cervical screening and cervical cancer. You can also speak to our Ask Eve nurses for free and confidential information and support.
