Vaccinating Kids 12 & Up: Most Illinois Patch Readers Say Yes

ILLINOIS — The majority of parents who responded to Illinois Patch's survey on vaccinating kids age 12 to 15 against the coronavirus said they will consent to their children getting the shot. Patch's non-scientific survey garnered more than 1,400 responses, and of those, more than 65 percent said they're willing to have their 12-year-olds and younger teens vaccinated, compared to 34.7 percent who said no.

Of those who said no, a plurality — nearly 36 percent — said they were concerned about the safety of the vaccines given emergency use authorization.

Another 28 percent said it was because they believe children don't get seriously ill with COVID-19, and 19.5 percent were concerned about potential side effects. Another 14.3 percent weren't dead-set against it, but said they want to wait and see before making a decision, and just over 2 percent said they believe vaccinating adults is enough to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Of the around 500 people who said they won't vaccinate their younger teens against COVID-19, more than 90 percent said they will not consider the fact that experts have said vaccinating children is a crucial step towards attaining herd immunity in their decision.

Even if schools require proof of COVID-19 vaccinations, 90.7 percent of parents who said no to vaccinating still won't get take their kids to get shots, according to survey responses.

Around 80 percent of parents who would not get their kids vaccinated said they'd consider switching their kids to private schools that don't require proof of vaccination.

Only 17 — or 3.4 percent — of the nearly 500 parents who are against getting their kids vaccinated said they are concerned about their unvaccinated kids being around older or more vulnerable family members.

Some parents who said no to vaccinating kids shared their thoughts. Here's a sampling of responses:

• "Everyone should be able to choose whether they want to be vaccinated. Not forced. That's insane."
• "Vaccine is NOT FDA approved - just allowed. Big difference in testing regarding possible long term issues. Risk of Covid to young children is negligible - currently NOT worth the unknown risks of vaccinating before additional testing."
• "Getting vaccinated does not stop you from getting or spreading Covid… It only 'lessens your symptoms'… My children will not be part of this experiment."
• "My body my choice."
• "The vaccines are also not 100% effective for the risk taken. There is no evidence on the long term ramifications of this new mrna technology."
• "I don't think we know enough about this vaccine to jump in without further testing, especially for our youth."
• "This has been a rushed vaccination nobody knows the long term effects and what could possibly harm our children. I would like longer testing to see long term side effects."
• "This is an experimental treatment. Clinical trials are still underway and the drug companies admit the long term side effects are not yet known. It is unethical (to) force minors to take this treatment for access to education."
• "I would not even consider this for my kids for at least 5-10 years, the usual amount of time that it takes to develop a vaccine. It is literally still in trial phases on a mass scale."
• "I'm not a science experiment, neither are my kids, get it FDA approved and I'll consider it."

Parents who said yes to vaccination explain why

Of the 65.3 percent of parents who were willing to get their kids vaccinated, many — 47 percent of that group— said it's because they will feel safer knowing their child is unlikely to get sick from the coronavirus.

Another 26.7 percent cited the fact that it's an important step towards attaining herd immunity, and 14 percent said they'll feel safer knowing their child is unlikely to spread the coronavirus to older or more vulnerable family members. The rest — 12.4 percent — said they feel vaccinating their child is necessary for in-person education to resume.

Those who were willing to get their kids vaccinated were split on whether schools should require proof of vaccination for students.

A little more than half — 53.9 percent — said yes, while 46.1 percent said no.

Opinion was similarly split on whether vaccination should be necessary for students who want to attend class in person. Around 52 percent said yes, while 48 percent said no. The percentages remained about the same for parents asked whether after-school activities and camps should require vaccinations to attend.

Parents who said they plan to vaccinate their kids age 12 and older had a few things to say when it came to their rationale. Here's a sampling of responses:

• "I will also get my younger child vaccinated as soon as it’s approved for children under 12."
• "If you can be vaccinated.. you should be. Plain and simple."
• "Looking forward to younger kids being able to get vaccinated too."
• "Just do it."
• "For social-emotional reasons, I had them vaccinated on the first day."
• "It's the right thing to do!"
• "Parents need to get their children vaccinated. This is not different than the requirements for schools for Meningitis, or anything else. Get the damn 2 shots."
• "I just think it is an important step in ending this pandemic. COVID can cause major health problems in any age person."
• "Get the vaccine and get on with life."
• "I want the pandemic to end."