Parental vaccine attitudes, beliefs, and practices: initial evidence in California after a vaccine policy change

Figures & data

Table 1. Demographic characteristics of kindergarten parents in California participating in study (n = 85)

Characteristic	N (%)
Relationship to child
Mother	66 (78)
Father	17 (20)
Other	1 (1)
Gender of kindergarten child
Male	43 (51)
Female	42 (49)
Age
25 years or younger	0 (0)
26–30 years	8 (9)
31–35 years	15 (18)
36–40 years	16 (19)
41–45 years	22 (26)
46–50 years	14 (17)
51–55 years	7 (8)
56 years or older	1 (1)
Race/ethnicity
White, non-Hispanic	35 (41)
Hispanic/Latino	25 (29)
Black, non-Hispanic	1 (1)
Asian/Pacific Islander	16 (19)
Native American	1 (1)
Other	5 (6)
Household income
Under $30,000	7 (8)
$30,000 – $99,999	32 (38)
More than $100,000	30 (35)
Don’t know	15 (19)
Education
Some high school, high school graduate, or GED	16 (19)
Some college or college graduate	44 (52)
Post-graduate	22 (26)

Table 2. Proportion of parents agreeing with vaccine-related beliefs by child vaccination status

Key vaccination belief	Respondents agreed or strongly agreed (%)
	Entire sample (n = 85)	Parents of up-to-date children (n = 78)	Parents of not up-to-date children (n = 7)
I trust information I receive about shots	77 (91)	70 (90)	7 (100)
It is better for my child to develop immunity by getting sick than to get a shot	29 (34)	26 (34)	3 (43)
It is better for children to get fewer shots at the same time	68 (91)	61 (84)	7 (100)
Children get more shots than are good for them.	45 (58)	40 (55)	7 (100)
I am concerned that children’s immune systems could be weakened by too many immunizations	32 (40)	29 (39)	3 (43)
Immunization requirements protect children from getting diseases from unimmunized children	75 (92)	68 (91)	7 (100)
Parents should be allowed to send their children to school even if not vaccinated	30 (36)	28 (37)	2 (29)
I am concerned that the CDC/ACIP underestimates the frequency of side effects	53 (72)	47 (69)	7 (100)

CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ACIP, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Odds ratios adjusted for parental age, education, income, and race.

Table 3. Parental perceptions of credibility of sources for vaccine information by child vaccination status

Authority	Respondent rated source as highly credible (%)
	Entire sample (n = 85)	Parents of up-to-date children (n = 78)	Parents of not up-to-date children (n = 7)
Doctor’s advice	73 (87)	67 (87)	6 (85)
California Department of Public Health	44 (57)	41 (56)	3 (42)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	48 (66)	43 (55)	5 (83)
Food and Drug Administration	41 (57)	37 (47)	4 (57)
Parents/Friends	25 (33)	23 (29)	2 (28)
Social media	3 (5)	1 (2)	2 (28)
Alternative doctors	15 (26)	14 (19)	1 (14)
Dr. Bob Sears	16 (46)	15 (19)	1 (14)
National Vaccine Information Center	43 (67)	39 (50)	4 (57)

CI, confidence interval. Odds ratios adjusted for parental age, education, income, and race. Source accuracy was 5-point Likert scale (“excellent” to “extremely poor”), with “highly credible” meaning the source was rated as “excellent” or “good”.