What polls show about Americans’ views on childhood vaccine mandates

By LINLEY SANDERS and AMELIA THOMSON-DEVEAUX Associated Press WASHINGTON AP Largest part Americans say kids should be vaccinated to attend school But as Florida plans to become the first state to eliminate childhood vaccine mandates U S adults are also less likely to think these immunizations are crucial than they were several decades ago Routine childhood vaccine rates are falling and fewer Americans particularly Republicans now say it s extremely crucial for children to get vaccinated Polling indicates that for the relatively small but influential group of Americans who oppose childhood vaccines concerns about personal freedom and regime influence are prominent Childhood vaccines prevent million deaths worldwide each year according to the U S Centers for Illness Control and Prevention And they don t just protect individuals they create herd immunity in a public This is when enough people have immunity to stop the uncontrolled spread of a infection It keeps everyone safe by preventing outbreaks that can sicken the vulnerable Here s what latest surveys show about views on childhood vaccines and how they ve shifted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth Fla on Wednesday Aug Amy Beth Bennett South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP FILE Florida Surgeon General Dr Joseph Ladapo gestures as speaks to supporters and members of the media before a bill signing by Gov Ron DeSantis Nov in Brandon Fla AP Photo Chris O Meara File Show Caption of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth Fla on Wednesday Aug Amy Beth Bennett South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP Expand Americans broadly sponsorship vaccine mandates Florida s move is a substantial departure from decades of community strategy and research that has shown vaccines to be safe and the majority of effective way to stop the spread of communicable diseases It also runs largely counter to mainstream residents opinion about vaccine requirements although various polling suggests that U S adults are less likely to embrace vaccine mandates than they were several decades ago About in U S adults in a Harvard SSRS poll from March mentioned parents should be required to have children vaccinated against preventable diseases like measles mumps and rubella to attend school including majorities of Democrats and Republicans And about in U S adults in a New York Times Ipsos poll explained healthy children should be required to be vaccinated because of the menace to others A Gallup poll uncovered a narrower split though with about half of U S adults saying the ruling body should require all parents to have their children vaccinated against contagious diseases such as measles while just under half reported the ruling body should stay out That s a dramatic shift from when another poll unveiled that of Americans declared the regime should require childhood vaccinations Republicans less likely to see vaccines as vital The drop in backing for childhood vaccination requirements is driven mostly by Republicans The Gallup poll detected that bulk Republicans oppose authorities vaccine mandates Related Articles Yes weighted vests can help amp up your workout Here s what to know Kennedy hearing turns rancorous as Democrats press him on COVID vaccine changes Washington Oregon and California governors form a wellness alliance in rebuke of Trump administration Florida plans to become first state to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandates What is hydrogen sulfide Toxic gas eyed in dairy deaths is infrequent but dangerous feature of agricultural work At the same time Republicans are also less likely to see vaccines as crucial In the Gallup survey only about one-quarter of Republicans announced it was extremely significant for parents to get their children vaccinated compared to about in Democrats The two parties began to diverge on the issue before the COVID- pandemic but the gap widened substantially after when Republicans became much more likely to dismiss the importance of childhood vaccinations Slightly more than half of Americans were extremely or very concerned that more people choosing to not vaccinate their children against childhood diseases would lead to more outbreaks of infectious diseases according to an AP-NORC poll from January but Democrats were more concerned than Republicans or independents A great number of have heard false states about the risks of vaccines As prominent figures like Kennedy refuse to acknowledge the scientific consensus that childhood vaccines don t cause autism an April KFF poll shows that about in U S adults have heard or read the false claim that the measles mumps and rubella vaccines also known as the MMR vaccines have been proven to cause autism in children About one-third have heard the false claim that getting the measles vaccine is more dangerous than becoming infected with measles according to KFF Very limited U S adults around think each claim is definitely true the poll revealed but less than half say each is definitely false with major numbers expressing uncertainty Vaccine mandate opposition may be more about choice than safety Another poll though suggests that concerns about parental rights may be playing a larger role than worries about safety The Harvard SSRS poll from March ascertained that among those who do not encouragement routine childhood vaccine requirements about in disclosed a major reason for that opposition was that it should be the parents choice whether or not to vaccinate their child Countless fewer vaccine opposers explained concerns about safety were a major reason