Only 1 in 4 parents believe the flu shot is effective, and 1 in 8 parents worry about vaccine safety for both flu shots and routine childhood vaccines, according to a new article published in the journal Pediatrics.
U.S. families with children were surveyed online in February 2019, with a total of 2,176 parents responding.
Five key takeaways:
1. Of all respondents, 6.1 percent were hesitant about routine childhood vaccines, with 25.8 percent of parents hesitant about flu shots.
2. Seventy percent of respondents strongly agreed that routine childhood vaccines are effective, compared to 26 percent for flu shots.
3. Almost 1 in 15 parents are hesitant about routine childhood vaccines, and more than 1 in 4 are hesitant about the flu vaccine.
4. For both routine childhood and flu shots, 1 in 8 parents are concerned about vaccine safety.
5. Parents with less than a bachelor’s degree and a household income 400 percent greater than the federal poverty level were more hesitant about both routine childhood vaccines and flu shots.