NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – In an August 2021 online survey, KRQE asked New Mexican parents their thoughts on vaccinating their kids. Of the 931 qualified respondents, 758 identified themselves as a parent or guardian of a school-aged child enrolled in a New Mexico classroom.
More Research & Studies (story continues below)
- A little-understood sleep disorder affects millions and has clear links to dementia – 4 questions answered
- Cytomegalovirus lies dormant in most US adults and is the leading infectious cause of birth defects, but few have heard of it
- Your body naturally produces opioids without causing addiction or overdose – studying how this process works could help reduce the side effects of opioid drugs
- How wildfire smoke can harm human health, even when the fire is hundreds of miles away – a toxicologist explains
- Chronic pain can be objectively measured using brain signals – new research
Of those parents/guardians, 53% said they would get their children vaccinated against COVID-19, while 47% said they would not. When asked why they wouldn’t vaccinate their kids, 43% said they don’t trust the vaccines, 40% said they are still too new, and 35% said they were waiting for full FDA approval.
42% of parents/guardians said they were ‘very likely’ to vaccinate their children if federally mandated, while 38% responded they were ‘very unlikely.’ The reasons for the ‘very unlikely’ responses included ethics and religion, believe the virus doesn’t affect children, want their children to build up immunity, or it causes side effects. One parent said, “I should not have to give a reason. It should be my decision as a parent. I do not feel that the vaccine is necessary for a healthy child. I do not want his future to be at risk or his children for that matter.”
Finally, we asked parents/guardians if they would feel more comfortable if more children were vaccinated during the upcoming school year; they were split, with 49% said ‘not at all’ while 43% said ‘a great deal.’
Methodology/Demographics
This non-scientific online survey ran from Friday morning, August 6, 2021, through Monday morning, August 9, 2021. Those respondents who identified themselves as non-residents were disqualified. 60% of the respondents were female, 32% were male, and 8% did not answer; 73% were between 35-55 years of age. Both Democratic and Independent were 29%, 20% were Republican, and 22% did not identify.
