90% of hesitant parents could be swayed to vaccinate their kids against COVID-19, survey finds

(WJET/WFXP) — While people across the U.S. continue to get vaccinated against COVID-19, some parents are worried about the effects of the vaccine on themselves and their children.

According to a survey done by Sykes, a business process outsourcing provider, 50% of parents believe the vaccine is effective against the coronavirus, but more than half were still reluctant to have their children get it.

Nevertheless, 90% of those polled said they could be convinced to have their children get the vaccine.

The poll included 1,750 U.S. residents with children 17 or younger. Currently, children 12 and older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine nationwide.

The top concerns parents had for not getting their children vaccinated included the possible impact of the vaccine on puberty (51.5%), the possible long-term health effects from the vaccine (50.8%) and worries they might be making the wrong decision for their children (48%).

Other reasons include worries over possible fertility issues (45.1%), the possible short-term effects (41.1%) and nervousness over information found online (30.3%), among others.

Most of the parents (49.2%) want to see more long-term data before making their final decision, while 46.7% want to first see how it affects a close friend or family member.

As the 2021-22 school year approaches, 57% of parents want their child’s school to require COVID-19 for the staff and administration, while 49% want the school to require vaccination for all students.

For parents choosing not to get their children vaccinated, 64.2% said they feel at least somewhat guilty as opposed to 35.7% who don’t at all. In addition, 42.7% of parents who do get their children vaccinated judge other parents who don’t, while 57.2% say they refrain from judging.

About 161.4 million people, or 48.6% of the U.S. population, have been fully inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer Inc/ BioNTech SE, Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with 186.3 million Americans, or 56.1%, having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.