Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Nov 17;38(49):7789-7798.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2020.10.027. Epub 2020 Oct 19.

Parents' and guardians' views on the acceptability of a future COVID-19 vaccine: A multi-methods study in England

Sadie Bell  1 , Richard Clarke  2 , Sandra Mounier-Jack  3 , Jemma L Walker  4 , Pauline Paterson  5
Affiliations

Parents' and guardians' views on the acceptability of a future COVID-19 vaccine: A multi-methods study in England

Sadie Bell et al. Vaccine. .

Abstract

Background: The availability of a COVID-19 vaccine has been heralded as key to controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 vaccination programme success will rely on public willingness to be vaccinated.

Methods: We used a multi-methods approach - involving an online cross-sectional survey and semi-structured interviews - to investigate parents' and guardians' views on the acceptability of a future COVID-19 vaccine. 1252 parents and guardians (aged 16 + years) who reported living in England with a child aged 18 months or under completed the survey. Nineteen survey participants were interviewed.

Findings: Most survey participants reported they would likely accept a COVID-19 vaccine for themselves (Definitely 55.8%; Unsure but leaning towards yes 34.3%) and their child/children (Definitely 48.2%; Unsure but leaning towards yes 40.9%). Less than 4% of survey participants reported that they would definitely not accept a COVID-19 vaccine. Survey participants were more likely to accept a COVID-19 vaccine for themselves than their child/children. Participants that self-reported as Black, Asian, Chinese, Mixed or Other ethnicity were almost 3 times more likely to reject a COVID-19 vaccine for themselves and their children than White British, White Irish and White Other participants. Survey participants from lower-income households were also more likely to reject a COVID-19 vaccine. In open-text survey responses and interviews, self-protection from COVID-19 was reported as the main reason for vaccine acceptance. Common concerns identified in open-text responses and interviews were around COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness, mostly prompted by the newness and rapid development of the vaccine.

Conclusion: Information on how COVID-19 vaccines are developed and tested, including their safety and efficacy, must be communicated clearly to the public. To prevent inequalities in uptake, it is crucial to understand and address factors that may affect COVID-19 vaccine acceptability in ethnic minority and lower-income groups who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

Keywords: Acceptance; COVID-19; Child; Coronavirus; Vaccine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Main reasons for accepting the vaccine.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Main reasons for not accepting the vaccine.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). COVID-19 situation update worldwide, as of 29 September 2020. 2020 [cited 2020 30 September]; Available from: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/geographical-distribution-2019-ncov-cases.
    1. UK Government. Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the UK. 2020 [cited 2020 13 August]; Available from: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/#category=nations&map=case.
    1. The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP. Prime Minister's statement on coronavirus (COVID-19): 23 March 2020. 2020 [cited 2020 13 August]; Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-address-to-the-nation-on-coron....
    1. UK Government. Staying alert and safe (social distancing). 2020 [cited 2020 13 August]; Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-alert-and-safe-social....
    1. UK Government, Government launches Vaccine Taskforce to combat coronavirus. 2020.

Publication types

Substances