Partisan divide and Racial/Ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Parents/Guardians and vaccine uptake among children in the U.S.

Abstract

ObjectivesWe undertook an observational study to assess the impact of state-level partisanship and parents’/guardians’ race/ethnicity on their degree of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Material and MethodsWe observed a pooled cross-section of 59,280 U.S. adults residing with children in the same household between June 29 and November 14, 2022. Using household-weighted logistic regression models, we evaluated the association between partisanship, race/ethnicity, and vaccine hesitancy, while controlling for other social determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Results and ConclusionsWe found that children were less likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if they resided in Republican as compared to Democratic states, with the difference in probability greatest among those households where parents/guardians identified as White. We also found that children were less likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if their parents/guardians identified as White as compared to any other race/ethnicity, with the differences in probability greatest among households in Republican states.