Parents’ Source of Vaccine Information and Impact on Vaccine Attitudes, Beliefs, and Nonmedical Exemptions
Table 3
Association of vaccination beliefs with Internet use as a source of vaccine information among parents of school aged children.
Key beliefs (agree or strongly agree)
Internet used as a source of vaccine information
Unadjusted OR (95% CI)
Adjusted OR* (95% CI)
Yes ()
No ()
(%)†
(%)†
Children should only be immunized against serious diseases
152 (62.6%)
577 (60.4%)
1.10 (0.82–1.47)
1.07 (0.79–1.44)
Children get more immunizations than are good for them
139 (59.9%)
246 (27.3%)
3.97 (2.94–5.37)
2.88 (2.03–4.10)
I am concerned that children’s immune system could be weakened by too many immunizations
140 (61.1%)
331 (38.7%)
2.50 (1.85–3.37)
1.74 (1.25–2.43)
I am more likely to trust immunizations that have been around for a while
180 (73.5%)
765 (78.6%)
0.75 (0.55–1.04)
1.03 (0.73–1.46)
Immunizations are one of the safest forms of medicine ever developed
61 (26.3%)
350 (39.7%)
0.54 (0.39–0.75)
0.73 (0.52–1.03)
Immunizations are getting better and safer all of the time, as a result of medical research
107 (46.5%)
526 (62.0%)
0.53 (0.40–0.71)
0.75 (0.54–1.03)
Vaccines strengthen the immune system
65 (29.3%)
358 (46.0%)
0.49 (0.35–0.67)
0.65 (0.46–0.92)
It is better for a child to develop immunity by getting sick than to get a vaccine
68 (29.8%)
150 (16.7%)
2.12 (1.52–2.96)
1.31 (0.90–1.91)
Healthy children do not need immunizations
43 (17.6%)
52 (5.8%)
3.75 (2.43–5.77)
2.06 (1.28–3.31)
Immunizations do more harm than good
56 (23.7%)
66 (7.0%)
4.16 (2.82–6.15)
2.47 (1.60–3.81)
I am opposed to immunization requirements because they go against freedom of choice
90 (36.6%)
134 (13.8%)
3.61 (2.63–4.95)
2.36 (1.64–3.39)
I am opposed to immunization requirements because parents know what is best for their children
56 (23.0%)
64 (6.5%)
4.26 (2.88–6.30)
2.68 (1.75–4.09)
Immunization requirements protect children from getting diseases from unimmunized children
114 (48.5%)
690 (74.8%)
0.32 (0.24–0.43)
0.44 (0.32–0.60)
Parents should be allowed to send their children to school even if not vaccinated
141 (58.3%)
286 (30.2%)
3.23 (2.41–4.32)
2.21 (1.59–3.07)
Who benefits from vaccination (moderate or great deal of benefit)
The child
160 (68.4%)
849 (90.2%)
0.23 (0.17–0.33)
0.39 (0.25–0.59)
The community—family, child’s playmates, people in the child’s neighborhood
152 (65.0%)
792 (84.7%)
0.33 (0.24–0.46)
0.53 (0.36–0.76)
The doctor
120 (56.1%)
460 (56.0%)
1.00 (0.74–1.36)
1.06 (0.78–1.45)
The government
117 (58.8%)
448 (59.6%)
0.97 (0.70–1.33)
0.98 (0.70–1.35)
The companies that make vaccines
219 (92.4%)
807 (89.7%)
1.40 (0.83–2.37)
1.17 (0.68–2.01)
*Adjusted for exemption status. †Counts presented represent the count of non-missing data, and the corresponding percentage is the percent of respondents in each Internet usage group with non-missing data that indicated that a given information source was a “Good or excellent source.” Missing data were not consistent over information source. Odds ratios are calculated based on non-missing results through unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression.
