09/16/2025

Why 1 in 6 U.S. Parents are Rejecting Vaccine Recommendations

A new poll details who tends to reject vaccine recommendations

The American parents who are choosing to skip or delay vaccines for their children are more likely to home-school their children, be white and very religious, identify as Republican or be under 35, according to a wide-ranging Washington Post-KFF poll that sheds new light on what drives vaccine hesitancy.

The poll — the most detailed recent look at the childhood vaccination practices and opinions of American parents — shows that 1 in 6 parents have delayed or skipped some vaccines for their children, excluding for coronavirus or flu. Nine percent have skipped the polio or measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) shots, which public health experts say risks large outbreaks of potentially fatal diseases that have been curbed through widespread vaccination.

The poll finds concerns about the vaccines themselves are driving these decisions. Parents who reject vaccine recommendations say they are primarily worried about side effects and the risks of the shots rather than facing challenges getting them despite the science. About half of parents overall lack faith in federal health agencies to ensure vaccine safety, mirroring the findings of other surveys.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.