A new national poll finds that the vast majority of American adults support school vaccine requirements, particularly for the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
According to the survey by Annenberg Public Policy Center, 70% of adults favor mandates for MMR vaccines in schools — an increase from 63% in 2023. The survey of 1,653 adults was conducted in April as the United States was facing measles outbreaks.
The results underscored that, even as some policymakers challenge vaccine mandates, public opinion largely favors requirements to protect children and the broader community.
The survey release comes amid public statements from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arguing that the federal government should not mandate any vaccines.
In the agency's Make America Healthy Again commission report released last week, Kennedy encouraged parents to weigh the pros and cons of childhood vaccines and expressed concerns about potential links between vaccines and chronic disease in children.
Despite Kennedy’s messaging, most respondents in the poll prioritized community health over individual parental choice. Only 18% of participants said parents should have the right to refuse vaccination for their children if it creates health risks for others. Pollsters noted a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
The timing of the poll also coincides with Florida's announcement this month of plans to become the first state to end vaccine requirements for schoolchildren. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo criticized vaccine mandates as coercive, calling them measures that “drip with disdain and slavery.”
Vaccine advocates and some lawmakers are responding to ongoing outbreaks. Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician, sent a letter to Kennedy urging support for the diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine.
Cassidy highlighted Louisiana's current pertussis outbreak, the worst in 35 years, which has already claimed the lives of two infants. Cassidy emphasized that strong public support for vaccines is critical to saving lives.
The survey was reported by CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) at the University of Minnesota.
