Vaccines research: Looking at why some people get vaccinated and some do not
This report looks at why some people chose to take up the Covid-19 and flu vaccinations and some did not. It is based on interviews with 81 people.
Views on children getting vaccinated
Most parents felt their children agreed with them about getting a Covid-19 vaccine.
Older children were more likely to be more involved in decision making compared to younger children.
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Parents who had strong views about the Covid-19 vaccination also had strong views about their children getting the Covid-19 vaccination.
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Parents who had not had any Covid-19 vaccinations did not want their children to have the vaccine.
Views were different for parents who had got the Covid-19 vaccination but were not confident about their children getting it.
![](/binaries/content/gallery/publications/research-analysis/2022/08/vaccines-research-looking-people-vaccinated-not/SCT08225443361_g44.png)
There were two main reasons for this:
- people thought children did not need the vaccine because they were not likely to catch Covid-19 or to be very ill if they did catch it
![](/binaries/content/gallery/publications/research-analysis/2022/08/vaccines-research-looking-people-vaccinated-not/SCT08225443361_g45.png)
- people felt they had taken a risk by getting a new vaccine
![](/binaries/content/gallery/publications/research-analysis/2022/08/vaccines-research-looking-people-vaccinated-not/SCT08225443361_g46.png)
They did not feel comfortable making this decision for their children.
![](/binaries/content/gallery/publications/research-analysis/2022/08/vaccines-research-looking-people-vaccinated-not/SCT08225443361_g47.png)
Parents were worried that getting children vaccinated would affect:
- puberty – the way a child's body changes from childhood to adulthood
- fertility - how easily they might have a baby in the future
![](/binaries/content/gallery/publications/research-analysis/2022/08/vaccines-research-looking-people-vaccinated-not/SCT08225443361_g48.png)
Most parents were more comfortable with children getting a flu vaccine than a Covid-19 vaccine.
![](/binaries/content/gallery/publications/research-analysis/2022/08/vaccines-research-looking-people-vaccinated-not/SCT08225443361_g49.png)
Contact
Email: socialresearch@gov.scot
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