Half of Parents of Adolescents 12-17 Say Their Child Has Gotten a COVID-19 Vaccine, though Uptake Has Slowed; 16% of Parents of 5-11 Year-olds Say Their Child Has Gotten a Vaccine

The use of COVID-19 vaccines among teenagers aged 12 to 17 has slowed down after an initial surge of excitement over the summer. The stock has barely changed since the beginning of autumn.

Only 1% of teenagers' parents now say they will get their teenagers vaccinated ASAP and 13% say they want to see how it works for others before doing so. Three in ten say they definitely won't get their teenage vaccinated. The poll was in the box before the message from the omicron variant that could change views.

Parents of children ages 5-11 who were eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine in the past month remain less eager. About three in ten say that their child has already been vaccinated (16%) or plan to have their child vaccinated immediately (13%). Almost a third (32%) say they'll wait and see how it works for other children first, while three in ten (29%) say they definitely won't get their child vaccinated.

The United States has approximately 28 million children ages 5-11 and 25 million teenagers ages 12-17.

As with adults, parents' intentions for their children are largely divided.

The vast majority (80%) of Democrats say their growing child has already been vaccinated, while more than half say they are already vaccinating their 5-11 year old (24%) or plan to do so as soon as possible to do (28%). Only 7% of democratic parents of children in any age group say they definitely will not get their children vaccinated.

In contrast, about half of Republican parents say they definitely won't get their 12-17 year old (51%) or 5-11 year old (49%) children vaccinated. Independents fall between the two groups.

The United States has approximately 28 million children ages 5-11 and 25 million teenagers ages 12-17.

As with adults, parents' intentions for their children are largely divided.

The vast majority (80%) of Democrats say their growing child has already been vaccinated, while more than half say they are already vaccinating their 5-11 year old (24%) or plan to do so as soon as possible to do (28%). Only 7% of democratic parents of children in any age group say they definitely will not get their children vaccinated.

In contrast, about half of Republican parents say they definitely won't get their 12-17 year old (51%) or 5-11 year old (49%) children vaccinated. Independents fall between the two groups.

While black and Hispanic adults were initially less likely to be vaccinated than white adults, parents of 5-11 year olds report no significant differences in their intent to vaccinate their child regardless of race or ethnicity. Among parents of teenagers, Hispanic parents (62%) are slightly more likely than black (48%) or white (42%) parents to report that their teenage boy has been vaccinated.

Although official scientific bodies in the US and around the world, including the US Food and Drug Administration, have found vaccines safe and effective for preventing serious COVID-19 illnesses in adults and school-aged children, many parents still have concerns.

About half (52%) feel they are safe for teenagers and about four in ten (43%) trust their safety for 5-11 year old children. This reflects lower confidence in the safety of the vaccine in children than in adults, of whom nearly two-thirds (63%) say they are confident of the safety of the vaccine.

When asked whether being infected with the virus or vaccinated is a greater risk for their children, more parents of both 12 to 17 year old teenagers and 5 to 11 year old children say they believe they do infection is a greater risk (57%). or 55%). Fewer say the vaccine is a greater risk (39% and 41%, respectively).

However, unvaccinated parents overwhelmingly believe that the vaccine poses a greater risk to their 12 to 17 year old (80%) and 5 to 11 year old (71%) children, although scientific panels have concluded that the opposite of Case is. The majority of Republican parents of children ages 12-17 (61%) and children ages 5-11 (63%) also believe the vaccines pose a greater risk.

Many schools have a role in providing information to parents and promoting vaccinations

About half (49%) of parents of school-age children say their schools provided information on how to vaccinate their child, and almost as many (44%) say their school encouraged parents to to have their child vaccinated.

The report finds a link between sponsoring a school and vaccinations.

Among parents of 5-11 year olds, 28% of those whose school encouraged vaccination and 8% of those whose school did not say their child was vaccinated.

Importantly, two-thirds (67%) of parents of school-age children would not want schools to require all eligible students to have a vaccine, while one-third (32%) are in favor of such requirements. The vast majority (92%) of Republican parents oppose such a requirement, as do two-thirds (67%) of independent parents. A narrow majority (55%) of democratic parents are in favor of a vaccination mandate for eligible students.

The report also notes:

• Most parents say they don't have enough information about the effectiveness (58%), side effects (63%), or safety (61%) of COVID-19 vaccines in children. Groups of parents who are less likely to report having a vaccinated child – including younger parents, those without a college degree, and Republicans – are more likely to say they do not have enough information.
• Hispanic and black parents are more likely than white parents to express concerns about vaccine access for their children. For example, of those whose child has not yet been vaccinated, more Hispanic (47%) and black (43%) than white (23%) parents say they are concerned about missing out on work to get their children to vaccinate or take care of them if they experience side effects.
• Less than half of parents said they spoke to their child's pediatrician about the COVID-19 vaccines. Parents say their pediatricians recommended vaccinations most of the time, although 16% of parents with teenagers and 15% of parents with children ages 5-11 say they spoke with the pediatrician and that the pediatrician did not recommend vaccination.
• Almost three quarters (73%) of parents say the pandemic has had a negative impact on their children's education. Almost six in ten (58%) say this had a negative impact on their own mental health, and four in ten say it had a negative impact on their ability to care for their children. Half of parents say the pandemic negatively affected their ability to afford basic needs, including a higher proportion of lower-income parents (73%), Hispanic parents (61%), black parents (59%) and mothers (57%). ).

This KFF Vaccine Monitor survey was designed and analyzed by pollsters at KFF and was conducted November 8-23 among a nationally representative sample of 1,196 parents with a child under 18 in their household. The interviews were conducted in English and Spanish by telephone (483) and online (713) via a probability-based online panel. The sampling error margin is plus or minus 4 percentage points for the entire parent sample, 5 percentage points for parents with a child aged 12 to 17, and 5 percentage points for parents with a child aged 5 to 11 years. Results based on other subgroups may have a higher sampling error rate.

The KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor is an ongoing research project that tracks public attitudes and experiences with COVID-19 vaccinations. Using a combination of surveys and qualitative research, this project tracks the dynamics of public opinion during the development and diffusion of vaccines, including the trust and acceptance of vaccines, the need for information, trustworthy messengers and messages, and the public's experience with vaccines.