One night inside a George Washington University fraternity, a sky-diving, weight-lifting, energy-drink-swilling group of brothers gathered around a pool table, boasting about how no matter what their college, government and parents might say, they don't need any swine flu vaccine, thanks very much.
They view the virus's threat as a media-concocted sensation. They fend off their parents' -- and even their girlfriends' parents' -- worries, much as they do concerns about any other risky behavior, such as parachuting out of an airplane for an upcoming frat event.
Nearly seven out of 10 people in the 18-to-29 age group said they did not plan to heed warnings to get vaccinated, a Washington Post-ABC News poll found. Puzzled experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they are so concerned about young people's lack of concern about swine flu that they are conducting surveys to tease out the basis for the blasé attitudes.