Support for non-COVID-19 school vaccine mandates dipped during pandemic: Poll
Jeremiah Poff
Video Embed
Public support for school vaccine mandates for childhood diseases, such as measles, mumps, and rubella, has seen a noticeable dip over the past three years, according to a survey.
The poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, released Friday, showed that while 71% of the public still broadly supports measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination requirements for public schools, support has dropped from 2019, when 82% of the public supported such mandates.
WEST VIRGINIA MEDICAL SCHOOL TOUTED ITS ‘WOKE’ DIVERSITY POLICIES, DOCUMENTS SHOW
Coinciding with the decline in support for mandates was an increase in support for allowing parents to decide if they wanted their child vaccinated or not and still attend public school. In 2019, support for the “parental rights” position stood at 16%, before nearly doubling to 28% in 2022.
While public school vaccination requirements vary by state, all states require that students be immunized against certain childhood diseases, including measles and rubella. Other required vaccinations include chicken pox, pertussis, and diphtheria.
But despite the falling support for public school vaccine mandates, public trust in the measles vaccine remains very high. The poll found 85% of respondents said they believed the benefits of receiving the vaccine far outweighed the risks, a minimal decrease from 88% in 2019.
Dr. Sean O’Leary, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the New York Times that the shift was likely tied to increased discussion about “the concept of taking away parents’ rights.”
“When you frame it that simply, it’s very appealing to a certain segment of the population,” O’Leary said. “But what about the right to have your children be safe in school from vaccine-preventable diseases?”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The survey was conducted between Nov. 29 and Dec. 8 and had a sample size of 1,029. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.