Over a third of parents oppose vaccine requirements in schools

Washington, Dec 16 (Prensa Latina) Over a third of U.S. parents say that vaccinating children against measles, mumps and rubella should be an individual choice and not a requirement to attend public school, even if that may create health risks, according to survey data published Friday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

December 16, 2022
16:43

That’s a notable increase from pre-pandemic times. A similar poll from the Pew Research Center found that 23% of parents opposed vaccine requirements in schools in 2019, but that’s now jumped to 35% in the KFF survey.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia require children attending public school to be vaccinated against certain diseases, including measles and rubella. Exemptions are allowed in only some circumstances.

The growing opposition to vaccination follows heated partisan fights over Covid-19 vaccine mandates and distrust of public health authorities.

This rejection comes largely from people who identify as Republicans, the survey notes.

In contrast, 88% of Democrats and those who support Blue Party back vaccinations for public school students.

In addition to children vaccines, the survey also asked about the bivalent Covid-19 booster. About 22% of American adults has received recommended bivalent booster vaccine, while 16% said they will do so as soon as they can. Among those aged 65 and older, about one-third said they do not think they need it.

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