Most parents continue to trust childhood vaccines, UKHSA survey finds

A Government survey has found that the majority of parents continue to have high levels of confidence in childhood vaccines, with most considering them safe, effective and trustworthy.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), 85% of parents surveyed said they believed childhood vaccines are ‘safe, effective and trustworthy’. Of those, 84% said they believed vaccines were safe, 87% believed they work, and 82% said they were trustworthy.

The findings are part of an annual survey conducted by UKHSA to assess parental confidence in childhood vaccinations. This year’s results show a small increase in the number of parents who believe vaccines are trustworthy, up from 82% in 2024, and in those who view diseases like pneumonia, meningitis, hepatitis, polio and septicaemia as serious, rising from 86% last year to over 90%.

The introduction of a new RSV vaccine for use in pregnancy in September 2024 was also reflected in the results, with 85% of parents of babies or younger children saying they now view RSV as serious.

The survey found that most parents had accessed information about childhood vaccines over the past year, with 76% saying they had seen or heard such information. The most common sources cited were healthcare professionals and official NHS websites. But 7% said they had used other internet sources and 3% cited social media.

Most parents had already decided to vaccinate their child before speaking to a health professional. Of those who had, 53% said they felt even more confident about their decision after the conversation. The survey also found that 15% of parents who were initially hesitant changed their mind in favour of vaccination following a discussion with a health professional.

Overall, 86% of parents said they felt they had received enough information to make an informed decision.

Regarding GPs, specifically, the survey found:

• 67% of parents would prefer to take their child to the GP surgery for their vaccines rather than a pharmacy or other service.

• GPs were the most trusted source of vaccines information with 67% of parents ranking them in their top 3 most trusted sources (out of 12 sources)

Despite this, childhood vaccine uptake in England has continued to decline across all major immunisation programmes, with none of the 14 routine childhood vaccines reaching the World Health Organization’s 95% coverage target in 2023/24. Uptake is subject to stark regional variation, with particular challenges in London.

UKHSA deputy director for immunisation programmes Dr Julie Yates said: ‘The findings from our latest survey are encouraging, with the vast majority of parents and guardians viewing childhood vaccinations as safe, effective and trustworthy.

‘Having questions about vaccines is a normal part of the parental journey. Our survey highlights the crucial role that healthcare professionals play in helping families find the answers they need and in building confidence in these programmes. We urge parents with any concerns to speak with a trusted NHS professional such as their GP, health visitor, midwife or practice nurse.’

She added: ‘However, childhood vaccination rates are still not where we want them to be, and we cannot be complacent.

‘Getting our rates up to the 95% WHO target required to eliminate these diseases will take sustained effort from all of us, and we are working together and with families and communities to do this.’

NHS England’s national director for primary care and community services, Dr Amanda Doyle, said: ‘Today’s findings reflect the essential work being done by GPs, health visitors and nurses to give parents the facts about how vaccination helps protect children from becoming seriously unwell.

‘We want every child to have the best possible start in life and vaccination remains one of the best ways to boost public health and prevent illnesses.’

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