Public Attitudes Toward Unvaccinated Children and Their Mothers Depends on Motivation Not to Vaccinate

A study conducted at the University of British Columbia (UBC) found that mothers are viewed negatively if their child hasn’t been vaccinated, regardless of the reason; however, mothers who refuse to vaccinate their children are viewed in a harsher light compared with those who delay vaccine because of safety concerns or due to time constraints.

In the study, researchers used data collected from an online survey conducted from June 29, 2015, through July 2, 2015, that involved 1,469 U.S. respondents randomly assigned to read one of four scenarios: 1) a mother who has concerns about vaccinations and has refused to vaccinate her child; 2) a mother who has concerns about vaccinations and has decided to delay; 3) a mother who has no concerns about vaccinations but her job and family demands have made it difficult to stay up to date with medical appointments; and 4) a mother who has no concerns and has ensured her child always receives recommended vaccines. After reading the scenarios, respondents were asked questions that measured their attitudes such as blame toward the mother if the child or others became sick and how willing respondents would be to make friends with the mother or let their children socialize with the undervaccinated child. The survey also measured respondents’ support for public policies that aim to boost vaccination rates such as providing greater vaccination education and services or banning undervaccinated children from school.

In addition to stigmatizing both the mother and her undervaccinated child regardless of the reason, respondents were also more likely to support stricter public policies like banning undervaccinated children from schools to increase vaccination rates. “Child vaccination rates are a complex problem that pose significant health consequences for the child and the community,” said Nicholas Fitz, coauthor of the study and recent UBC sociology graduate. “If health officials want to effectively address low child vaccination rates, it’s important to understand not only the parents’ motivations but also how the general public views both undervaccinated children and their parents.”