American Parents' Thoughts on Importance of Vaccines
by lauren.vann on Apr 7, 2015 | Views: 226 | Score: 1
A poll was taken in both 2001 and 2015 asking parents how important they thought it was that they get their children vaccinated.
Importance of Getting Child Vaccinated
| Not very/not at all important | Somewhat important | Extremely/very important | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 | 4 | 94 |
| 2015 | 4 | 11 | 84 |
Since 2001, the percentage of parents who believe that it is "extremely or very important" to get their children vaccinated has declined by 10%. The number of those who believe that vaccinations are no as important has increased. What could be causing these changes in opinion?
Information on Advantages/Disadvantages
| Disadvantages | Advantages | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 39 | 73 |
| 2015 | 73 | 83 |
The poll found there to be a 34% increase in the number of parents who said they had personally heard either "a great deal" or "fair amount" of information regarding the disadvantages of vaccinations. There was only a 10% increase in the number of parents who had heard information regarding the advantages of vaccines. Have vaccines really become more disadvantageous since 2001 or is information regarding vaccines simply portrayed differently?
Little/No Information on Advantages/Disadvantages
| Disadvantages | Advantages | |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 60 | 26 |
| 2015 | 27 | 17 |
The poll found there to be a 33% decrease in the number of parents who said they had personally heard either "only a little" or "nothing at all" and only a 9% decrease in the number of parents who received little or no information regarding the advantages. What effect does the information parents hear regarding vaccines have on the likelihood that they will believe they are important? How accurate is the information they are receiving? What effect will this have on the prevalence of diseases preventable by vaccines?