Two-thirds of Toronto parents ‘certain or somewhat likely’ to get young kids vaccinated against COVID-19, survey says
Three-quarters or more of Toronto parents are “somewhat or certain” to get their children vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, according to a survey of over 1,100 parents.
By contrast, just 29 per cent of parents were willing to be proactive about getting their children vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to the survey, which was conducted by TDS Economics and conducted among more than 1,100 parents in Toronto.
“This is a clear indication that Ontario parents are willing both to take on a higher level responsibility for their children’s well-being and to take action to protect them from potentially serious illness,” says John A. Elkington, a parent rights scholar at the University of Toronto.
While the survey showed that one in five parents of children aged 0 to 14 have had kids receive an influenza vaccine, only one in 40 parents of children aged 5 to 14 had their kids receive the measles vaccine, the study found.
The survey, titled, “The Influenza and COVID-19 vaccine decisions of Ontario parents,” began on March 22 and will be conducted in Toronto on a weekly basis for three months. It includes two questions: Do you plan to get your kids vaccinated against influenza and COVID-19? and Do you plan to get your children vaccinated against measles and meningitis?
A few parents who responded to that question said they were considering getting their kids vaccinated, although their plans were on hold in the wake of the pandemic.
“Many parents who answered yes to the influenza vaccine question were also interested, or even anxious, to have their children vaccinated for COVID-19 and meningitis but were in no mood to be proactive about it,” the survey says, noting that while many parents said they were “certain” or “somewhat certain” that they would get their kids vaccinated, “few were willing to take the full responsibility for their children’s health and immunization status.”
But parents are more willing than ever to take on a higher level of responsibility for their children’s well-
