Study: COVID pandemic did not increase overall parental hesitancy toward childhood vaccines

There were significant disruptions to childhood vaccine uptake during the COVID pandemic along with vaccine-related misinformation and disinformation, making some concerned that vaccine hesitancy toward childhood vaccines increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a new study “The COVID-19 Pandemic and Parental Attitudes Toward Routine Childhood Vaccines,” in the November 2023 Pediatrics, found that overall hesitancy for childhood vaccines did not increase.

Researchers examined data from 3,553 respondents in the Health eMoms survey, a random survey of birthing parents in Colorado from April of 2018 through August of 2021, on a variety of health topics including vaccine hesitancy comparing the months before the pandemic, during and after. They found 20.4 percent of parents who responded could be defined as vaccine hesitant toward childhood vaccines, but, generally, parental vaccine hesitancy didn’t change from the pre-pandemic period to post-pandemic.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic was linked to decreased trust in vaccine information and a polarization of vaccine attitudes. Parents were less likely to be unsure about their stance on vaccines, meaning opinions were hardened, and there were significant differences in the odds of parental vaccine hesitancy by race, preferred language, insurance status and education level. Specifically, Black and Asian parents were more likely to be hesitant, compared to white.

Researchers suggest that polarization in attitudes toward childhood vaccines is likely the result of the growth of digital communications and political polarization and that this research shows how important it is to address vaccine hesitancy and vaccination disparities.