Research and analysis

Childhood vaccines: parental attitudes survey 2023 findings

Published 20 March 2024

Applies to England

Background on the survey

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) designed an online survey to find out what parents of children aged 2 months to less than 5 years old thought about vaccination. UKHSA commissioned the commercial research organisation, BASIS, to undertake the survey on their behalf.

There were around 1,000 respondents who had a child aged 2 months to less than 3 years 4 months and 1,000 respondents who had a child aged 3 years 4 months to less than 5 years old.

Key findings

Vaccine awareness

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was the most frequently recalled health issue that parents had seen or heard about in the past 12 months (39%). The next frequent issue reported was ‘healthy eating’ (37%).

Vaccines in general (excluding COVID-19) were spontaneously recalled by 34% of parents. When prompted (with COVID-19 vaccines included), 73% of parents reported having seen or heard something about vaccines for children in the previous 12 months.

Disease severity

The diseases rated most often as ‘very serious’ for their child to catch by parents of babies and younger children were septicaemia (86%) and meningitis (81%).

RSV was rated as very serious by 58% of parents of babies and younger children, higher than in parents of children aged 3 years 4 months to under 5 years of age.

Flu was seen as less serious with only 19% of all parents rating it as ‘very serious’.

Vaccine safety

Most parents (88%) were happy with the safety of vaccines for babies and young children. This was a reduction from the 2022 survey (92%).

Parents in social grade C2DE and ethnic minorities were more likely to report feeling less happy with the safety of vaccines for babies and young children.

Vaccine confidence

Parents agreed that vaccines work (89%), that they are safe (84%) and trusted (82%). Although high, these levels are lower than the 2022 survey.

Information sources

Seventy-seven percent of parents reported seeing or hearing information about vaccines for babies and young children from ‘approved’ sources including healthcare professionals, NHS website or leaflets or the child’s personal health record (Red Book).

Of the 67% of parents who reported seeing vaccine information online, almost a third of them had seen it on the NHS website and 18% on parenting websites such as Mumsnet. Facebook was the most commonly reported source on social media (24% of parents who had seen information online). Instagram, Twitter/X and Snapchat were also cited as sources.

Women were more likely than men to see or hear about vaccines through healthcare professionals and men were more likely to have heard about vaccines for their child through online / social media or through friends and family.

Seventy-two percent of parents who had seen or heard something about vaccines in the last 12 months reported that the information had been in favour of vaccines. This was lower than the 2022 survey (80%) with more parents reporting that the information was against vaccines (6%) or a mixture for and against (14%).

Most parents (59%) had not seen or heard anything that would make them concerned about any childhood vaccines. This was lower than the 2022 survey where 79% of parents reported not seeing or hearing information that would cause them concern.

Trust in sources of vaccine information

Parents have a high level of trust in vaccination information received from healthcare professionals and the NHS. Although it remains high, levels of trust are lower than the 2022 survey.

When asked to rank different sources of vaccine information:

• 86% ranked the NHS in first to third place
• 85% ranked health professionals (like their GP, practice nurse, midwife, health visitor) in first to third place
• 66% ranked pharmacists in first to third place
• only 10% ranked the internet in first to third place
• only 5% ranked social media in first to third place

Discussions with health professionals

Eighty-six percent of all parents felt they had received enough information to make an informed decision about vaccines offered to their children. This was higher than the 81% of parents reporting this in the 2022 survey.

Eighty-six percent of parents of children under 3 years and 3 months reported that they had an opportunity to discuss childhood vaccination with a health professional prior to having their child’s first vaccines. Eighteen percent reported a discussion before the baby was born, almost half (46%) had the discussion soon after birth and the rest had the discussion at the vaccination visit (22%).

Health visitors (56%) and midwives (43%) were the health professionals most commonly reported as having vaccine discussions with parents.

The majority of parents (83%) had already decided that their babies would have all the vaccines offered before the discussion. Fourteen percent of parents who had not made up their mind about vaccination, decided in favour of vaccination following the discussion. Ethnic minorities, men, and younger parents were more likely to have changed their mind and decided to have their baby vaccinated after speaking to a healthcare professional.

Satisfaction with vaccination services

Around 80% of all parents were either satisfied or very satisfied with their most recent vaccine experience. Parents of children over 3 years, 3 months were more satisfied than parents of younger children with the information they received before the visit (81% versus 76%), waiting room facilities (83% versus 79%) and how the vaccine was given (91% versus 88%).

Resources

A slide set of the survey findings are available to download.