Nearly half of UK parents will NOT get their child vaccinated against COVID-19

A parent’s decision to vaccinate their child is a very personal one, which can often divide opinions and cause tensions within families and friendship circles. Here in the UK we are lucky enough to have access to a whole host of vaccinations against deadly diseases - from Measles to Meningitis, with the majority of people taking advantage of this modern medicine.

Unfortunately, despite the easing of lockdown, COVID-19 isn’t behind us yet, as scientists across the globe desperately try to develop a vaccine to tackle the virus. Although one isn’t currently available, we wanted to find out some of your thoughts on the possible immunisation and whether it’s something you’d allow your child to have.

Surveying more than 5,000 parents in the UK, we can confirm that vaccinations do in fact split parents fairly evenly, as nearly half of British parents (45%) stated they ​will not get their child vaccinated against COVID-19.

Delving into the results further, out of the parents who would reject a COVID-19 vaccination, a fifth (20%) would do so because they believe that COVID-19 is ‘fake and doesn’t really exist’. Five out of six (86%) think the vaccination would be unsafe with ‘nasty’ side effects, and a third (35%) do not believe there is any need for children to be vaccinated against the virus, as they are ‘practically immune’.

Speaking to the other half of you, nearly nine in ten (86%) provided the reasoning that vaccinating their child could save both their lives and others, three quarters (74%) believe it’s their duty as a parent to vaccinate their child against all illnesses, and over two thirds (70%) think a COVID-19 vaccine is the best way of eradicating the virus from the world.

The return to school

As we come to the end of the summer holidays the return to school is on the horizon. While we were talking to you, we thought it was a good opportunity to find out your thoughts on sending your children back to school in September.

Our poll discovered that a third (30%) of parents are not planning on sending their children back next month,​ w​ith two thirds (64%) ​stating this is because you still don’t believe it’s safe​. The majority (91%) of the parents who aren’t going to drop their kids off at the school gate, plan to continue homeschooling, w​ith almost a third (30%) confirming they will do so for the foreseeable future and a fifth (19%) will home-school until their child has been vaccinated.

Of the 70% of parents who are taking their kids back to school, we found that ​two thirds (66%) believe the risks of their child missing out on their education outweigh the risks of contracting COVID-19,​ and half (50%) think it is now safe for them to return.

Richard Conway, founder of Childcare.co.uk, said,

“Vaccinating a child against a disease or virus is a personal decision all parents must make, and it’s a topic that often divides people, especially in recent years. Although one isn’t available yet, reports state that scientists are working to develop a COVID-19 vaccination, so it might not be too long before families are faced with this decision.

“As such we wanted to discover how parents feel about a possible vaccination and catch up on their feelings towards kids going back to school. The results from the whole poll were very insightful, even surprising, as it’s evident that when it comes to vaccinations, parents are still split on their opinions and reasonings why.”