Survey: More than half of Romanians agree with compulsory vaccination of children

A total of 62.7% of Romanians agree with the compulsory vaccination of children, while 81% say vaccinating children is necessary, a survey done by INSCOP for the National Society for Family Medicine (SNMF) revealed.

At the same time, 54.9% of respondents believe the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, while 28.7% are of the opinion that vaccination is a complicated issue and needs to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. A total of 10.3% said that the risks of vaccination are greater than the benefits. Women, respondents aged 35 to 49, with an average education level, residents of rural areas and of the regions of Banat, Crisana and Maramureș thought, to a higher extent than other categories, that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, the survey found.

Most of the respondents (89%) said access to vaccination should be free, 7% thought it should be partially free, while 1% thought it should be paid for.

Only 19.5% of those surveyed said they got vaccinated last year or this year against the flu. Women, the elderly, people with an average and high education level, residents of urban areas, and residents of the regions of Transylvania, Muntenia, Oltenia and Dobrogea said, more than other categories, that they got vaccinated against the flu last year or this year.

When it comes to the sources of information regarding vaccination, some two thirds of respondents (67.2%) think parents should talk to the family doctor about any concerns they might have regarding vaccinating their children, the survey found.

“Most Romanians agree with vaccination; the percentage of those refusing vaccination is small. But there is a significant segment of the population that is not fully convinced of the principles of vaccination, this segment being the most vulnerable to potential anti-vaccination messages,” the survey found.

The survey was carried out nationwide by INSCOP Research between January 21 and February 11 of this year among 2,115 respondents. The maximum margin of error is of plus/minus 2.1%.

The results of the survey are to be used by SNMF in the making of communication strategy recommendations for family doctors. It will also be made available to the Health Ministry to devise policies in the area of vaccination.

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