Earlier this week, Pfizer and BioNTech announced its coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective for children between the ages of five and eleven years old. Pfizer and BioNTech are now seeking emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA, which means vaccine availability for little ones could be right around the corner. CivicScience polled parents with children under 12 on their thoughts regarding vaccination, and here’s what we know.
More than half of parents with children under 12 report they’re at least somewhat likely to get their young children vaccinated once its EUA status is approved by the FDA. Nearly just as many aren’t planning on having their children vaccinated at all or are still on the fence with their decision.
Our data show that parents plan to model their child(ren)’s vaccine plan after their own experience. In fact, nearly two-thirds of adults who have already received the shot plan to vaccinate their children under 12. A staggering three-fourths of adults who are forgoing the vaccine entirely say the jab isn’t in the cards for their kids, either. The highest rates of hesitancy about vaccinating their kids lie with those who are still hesitant to receive the vaccine themselves.
Impending approval of a child-safe vaccine comes at an interesting time when more than half of the country supports the administration’s plan to vaccinate the unvaccinated. If parents are mandated to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, how they feel about their child’s vaccine status might change.
With approval from the FDA drawing closer each day, CivicScience will continue to keep a finger on the pulse of how this trend evolves over time.
