Parents’ Intentions and Perceptions About COVID-19 Vaccination for Their Children: Results From a National Survey

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: To assess the likelihood of US parents to have their children receive a pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine and to understand parental concerns about the vaccines. STUDY POPULATION: Study participants were selected from The Understanding America Study (UAS), a nationally-representative online panel who were surveyed between February 17, 2021 and March 30, 2021. METHODS: This was a survey-based study. Parents were asked about intent to have their child vaccinated against COVID-19, their perceptions about the vaccine, their own likelihood of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, whether their child previously received the flu vaccine, their trust in sources of information about a COVID-19 vaccine, and their trust in the vaccine development and approval process. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were used to assess likelihood of vaccination and to understand the association between likelihood of child vaccination and parent demographics, child age, and parental perceptions about COVID-19 vaccines. RESULTS: A total of 1745 parents responded to the survey (87% of eligible parents, 3759 children). Overall, likelihood of child COVID-19 vaccination was as follows: very likely (28%), somewhat likely (18%), somewhat unlikely (9%), very unlikely (33%), and unsure (12%). About 12% of parents reported that they did not plan to get their child vaccinated at this time but would "wait and see." Parental factors associated with a higher likelihood of child COVID-19 vaccination included: bachelor's degree or higher education (P < .001), Asian American or Hispanic ethnicity (P < .04), and Democratic party affiliation (P < .001). The strongest predictor independently associated with increased likelihood of child COVID-19 vaccination was whether a given child's parent had received or were likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine themselves (P < .001;adjusted risk ratio = 3.42, 95% confidence interval: 2.32–5.04). Other factors associated with a higher likelihood of vaccination included: older child age (P < .001) and child influenza vaccination in the last 2 years (P < .001;adjusted risk ratio =1.44, 95% confidence interval: 1.24–1.67). Parents were most concerned about vaccine safety and possible side effects. Pediatricians were the most trusted source of information for pediatric COVID-19 vaccines, with 72% of parents reporting that they completely or mostly trust their child's doctor. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that there is a high level of parental vaccine hesitancy for pediatric COVID-19 vaccines, with less than half of parents reporting they are likely to have their child vaccinated against COVID-19. Pediatric health care providers were identified as parents' most trusted source of information about COVID-19 vaccines for children.