Apr 4, 2022 - Health

Some hesitant parents warming to COVID shots, poll finds

Tina Reed

Illustration of a round bandaid in the shape of smiley face on a child's arm — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

A growing segment of the wait-and-see crowd may be warming to the idea of getting a COVID-19 shot for kids 5 and under, according to a poll provided exclusively to Axios from The Harris Poll.

Driving the news: In particular, Harris found nearly half of parents who were unvaccinated themselves said they'd get the vaccine for their little kids, up from 35% in early February.

It's also well above the low of 22% later on in February after a delay in Pfizer’s FDA authorization process was announced.

Why it matters: While many polls tend to generalize the unvaccinated as partisan and unwilling to change their minds, this data shows more nuance to how parents weigh what's best for their kids, said John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll.

By the numbers: More than one in four parents with kids 5 and under said they were unvaccinated and 46% of those parents said they would be likely to vaccinate their kids.

52% of Republican parents and rural parents, respectively, said they would get their kids vaccinated.
“This is about parenting, not politics. Many unvaccinated parents wanted more proof. And now, as a result, many are changing their minds," Gerzema said.

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Some hesitant parents warming to COVID shots, poll finds

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