Effect of COVID-19 experiences on childhood vaccination intention

Abstract Introduction Vaccine hesitancy has risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Netherlands experiencing one of the largest drops in vaccine confidence among EU nations between 2018 and 2022. Vaccine-hesitant parents are a particular concern. Contributing factors may include their pandemic experiences, perceptions of lockdowns, and both exposure to and belief in COVID-19 vaccine misinformation. This study explored how Dutch parents’ childhood vaccine uptake intent is influenced by past pandemic experiences and current exposure to and endorsement of vaccine misinformation. Methods In October 2024, we surveyed 507 parents from a representative Dutch research panel about childhood vaccine uptake intent, pandemic-era experiences (e.g., agreement with lockdown policies, knowing someone hospitalized or deceased due to COVID-19), and both exposure to and endorsement of seven common COVID-19 vaccine misinformation statements (e.g., “COVID-19 vaccines change DNA”). Results A multiple hierarchical logistic regression found that in step 1, higher levels of education predicting higher likelihood to vaccinate their youngest child, remaining significant in step 2 (p<.001); in step 2, parents reporting knowing someone who had died as a result of a COVID-19 infection was associated with lower likelihood to vaccinate their youngest child (p=.019), and a higher agreement with the need for lockdown procedures was associated with higher likelihood to vaccinate (p<.001). During the third step, adding misinformation scores, endorsement of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation was linked to lower vaccination likelihood (p=.001), while exposure to misinformation was not significant. Lockdown support remained a positive predictor (p<.001). Conclusions Findings highlight the need for a deeper understanding of pandemic-era factors and belief in vaccine misinformation impact parents’ childhood vaccine confidence and uptake intent.