Nearly half of UK parents will NOT get their child vaccinated against COVID-19

The UK’s largest online platform for childcare providers, parents, schools and tutors has discovered that nearly half of British parents (45%) will not get their child vaccinated against COVID-19.

The survey of more than 5,000 parents and guardians by Childcare.co.uk discovered that a fifth (20%) of those who would reject a vaccination believe that COVID-19 is ‘fake and doesn’t really exist’. Five out of six of those parents (86%) think the vaccination would be unsafe with ‘nasty’ side effects, and a third (35%) answered that there is no need as children are ‘practically immune’ from the virus.

The poll also asked parents about sending their children back to school in September. Results discovered that a third (30%) are not planning on sending their children back next month, with two thirds (64%) stating this is because they don’t believe it’s safe.The majority of these parents (91%) plan to continue homeschooling. 

 Of the 70% of parents who are taking their kids back to school, two thirds (66%) believe the risks of their child missing out on their education outweigh the risks of contracting COVID-19, and half (50%) think it is now safe for them to return.

The full survey results can be found here: https://www.childcare.co.uk/news/vaccine

Childcare.co.uk is a platform which allows parents to search for and connect with babysitters, childminders, nannies, nurseries, private tutors and schools and also allows childcare providers to advertise their services. The site has more than 2 million users nationwide and is the largest online community for parents in the UK having launched in 2009.

Richard Conway, founder of Childcare.co.uk, said,

“Vaccinating a child against a disease or virus is a personal decision all parents must make, and it’s a topic that often divides people, especially in recent years. Although one isn’t available yet, reports state that scientists are working to develop a COVID-19 vaccination, so it might not be too long before families are faced with this decision.

“As such we wanted to discover how parents feel about a possible vaccination and catch up on their feelings towards kids going back to school. The results from the whole poll were very insightful, even surprising, as it’s evident that when it comes to vaccinations, parents are still split on their opinions and reasonings why.”