40% of Americans say pediatric vaccinations are extremely important

On Wednesday, Gallup, a consulting and global research firm, revealed that fewer Americans are viewing childhood vaccinations as important, with a declining focus on childhood vaccinations among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents.

Gallup conducted a survey in July 2024 — which collected data from July 1 to July 21 — asking Americans to report their opinions on childhood vaccination.

First, participants were asked how important it was for parents to get their children vaccinated. Respondents could choose between extremely, very, somewhat, not very, or not at all important. The survey found that only 40% of respondents thought it was extremely important. For comparison, in 2019, that number was significantly higher at 58%, and in 2001, it was over 1.5 times greater at 64%.

Although 69% of Americans thought vaccination was extremely important or very important in 2024, that is still a decline from 84% in 2019 and 94% in 2001. Additionally, in 2024, approximately 7% of Americans said that getting children vaccinated is not at all important, a seven-fold increase from the 1% reported in 2001.

For more context, 17% of Americans reported that vaccinating children was somewhat important, and 5% reported that it was not very important.

According to Gallup, the change in vaccination importance among Americans is predominantly driven by opinions among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. For example, while approximately 63% of Democrats or Democrat-leaning independents feel that getting children vaccinated is extremely important, only 26% of Republicans or Republican-leaning independents agree.

Data from Gallup indicates a widening gap between Republicans and Democrats that grew significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic. A closer look at the data reveals that in 2001, similar portions of Republicans and Democrats found pediatric vaccinations extremely important, at 62% and 66%, respectively. By 2022, only 52% of Republicans found pediatric vaccinations important, while 67% of Democrats did.

“This political divide reflected the tendency for Democratic elected officials and party supporters to follow guidance on COVID-19 provided by medical authorities, while Republican elected officials and Republican identifiers were often skeptical of the reliability of that information,” noted Gallup in the report. “Now, those doubts appear to be extending to childhood vaccines that have long been used to prevent the spread of contagious diseases, as well as the field of science in general.”