Seven in 10 Canadians, or 71 per cent, feel the anti-vaccination movement is going to lead to unnecessary illness and suffering in the population, according to a new survey.
There appears to be growing skepticism about vaccine efficacy among Canadians in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among parents with children under 18, according to new data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute.
Key findings of the poll include one in six parents of minors (17 per cent) say they are “really against” vaccinating their kids, a fourfold increase from 2019.
There has also been a simultaneous decrease (70 per cent in 2019, 55 per cent in 2024) in the proportion of Canadians who support mandatory childhood vaccination in schools, with opposition increasing to 38 per cent, up from 24 per cent.
And half of those with children younger than 18 say that it should be the parents’ decision whether to vaccinate (52 per cent). That proportion drops to 32 per cent for those who do not have children under 18.
Poll data suggests views of vaccinations vary across the country, from those who are completely confident in their efficacy to those who feel they should not be given at all.
The survey notes that there has been little change between 2015 and 2024 in the proportion of those who say opposing child vaccination is irresponsible, with between 72 and 75 per cent of Canadians holding this view.
The Institute's VACCINE ACCEPTANCE INDEX suggests that:
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• On one end are Max Vaxxers (29 per cent of Canadians) who feel vaccines are “very effective” at ensuring better outcomes for both the individual and the community, who support mandatory vaccination for children and who are not concerned about the potential for “significant” side effects.
• On the other end are a group half that size — the Anti-Vax (14 per cent) — who overwhelmingly feel that vaccination is harmful and unnecessary, that the science isn’t settled and that the body does not need vaccination to build up immunity to these illnesses.
• In between are those who are largely supportive but have some reservations.
More key findings
• More than half of men between the ages of 35 and 54 (56 per cent) are either Anti-Vax or Vax Skeptics, the highest number among all age and gender combinations. Comparatively, one in five women over 54 (22 per cent) express these views.
• One-third of men under 55 are unsure about or against vaccinating a child.
• Ontario residents are most supportive of a vaccine mandate for children in schools (61 per cent), while Albertans (48 per cent) and Quebecers (45 per cent) are least receptive.
• Three in 10 Canadians (29 per cent) express skepticism about the science of vaccines, while one in three (34 per cent) say they worry about the risk of significant side effects.
The latest data comes amid measles outbreaks across the globe, including six infections in Canada, at least two of which are in Ontario.
That led Canada's chief medical officer of health, Theresa Tam, to issue a warning against a potential rise in measles cases given the surging numbers overseas, amid declining vaccination rates in domestic school-aged children.
“Most of these cases involve unvaccinated or undervaccinated children who travelled internationally,” Tam said, adding that more imported cases could be on the way, which may then spread through unvaccinated communities.
“I strongly advise everyone in Canada to be vaccinated with two doses of a measles vaccine, especially before travelling,” she said.
According to the 2021 childhood National Immunization Coverage Survey, the latest data we have available, just 79.2 per cent of 7-year-olds received their measles shots — a decline from 83.3 per cent in 2019 and 87.0 per cent in 2017.
Click here for a link to the Angus Reid Institute's survey.
