Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) poses a serious threat to the health of infants, young children, and the elderly, and there are currently no specific antiviral drugs or ideal vaccines available. The virus is divided into two subtypes, A and B, which differ antigenically and exhibit periodic epidemic patterns. The prefusion (pre-F) protein is a key target for vaccine development, and the level of antibodies it induces is closely related to immune protection. Children generally exhibit higher antibody levels, whereas infants and the elderly tend to have lower levels. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention and control measures have altered the epidemiological pattern of RSV, leading to a widespread decline in population antibody levels. However, the overall distribution of antibodies in the post-pandemic era remains unclear. Neutralizing antibodies serve as an important indicator for evaluating protective efficacy, but current detection methods still face limitations in terms of throughput, standardization, and accuracy. Most current research focuses on antibody responses following vaccination, which have been shown to exhibit subtype cross-reactivity and dynamic changes. However, understanding of the patterns of neutralizing antibody changes after natural infection remains limited. Additionally, there is insufficient research on the factors influencing antibody levels and their short-term dynamics before and after epidemic seasons. This review summarizes recent advances in immune research on the RSV pre-F protein, characteristics of population antibody levels and their influencing factors, and evaluation of neutralizing antibody detection methods. It also discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on RSV epidemic patterns and population immunity, as well as current challenges related to antibody persistence, detection standardization, and all-age serological studies.