Over 40 % of parents of children under 5 reluctant to get vaccinations, “definitely not” get their child vaccinated for COVID-19, Let’s make that 100 %
Over 40 % of parents of children under 5 reluctant to get vaccinations, “definitely not” get their child vaccinated for COVID-19, Let’s make that 100 %
“you may fool people for a time; you can fool a part of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all the people all the time.”…Abraham Lincoln
From the Kaiser Family Foundation.
With the FDA granting emergency use authorization for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 6 months through 4 years old, many parents of these young children remain reluctant to vaccinate their child. More than four in ten parents of children in this age group say they will “definitely not” get their child vaccinated for COVID-19. Republican or Republican leaning parents (64%) and parents who are themselves unvaccinated (64%) are particularly likely to say they will “definitely not” vaccinate their youngest children.
When asked in their own words for the main reason why they will not vaccinate their eligible child under 5 “right away,” parents cite concerns about the newness of the vaccine and not enough testing or research, concerns over side effects, and worries over the overall safety of the vaccines. Additionally, about one in ten parents say they do not think their child needs the vaccine or say they are not worried about COVID-19.”
‘Adding to the reluctance of some parents to vaccinate their young children, a slight majority (53%) of parents of the youngest children view the vaccine as a bigger risk to their child’s health than getting infected with COVID-19. The share saying the vaccine is a bigger risk rises to 73% among Republican and Republican-leaning parents, 71% among parents who are unvaccinated themselves, and 67% among parents whose child has previously tested positive for COVID-19.
A majority of parents of children under 5 say the information from federal health agencies about the COVID-19 vaccines for children in that age group is confusing. Though most parents of unvaccinated young children say they have enough information about where their child can be vaccinated for COVID-19, about four in ten parents say they do not have enough information on where their child can get the vaccine.”