Support for vaccine mandates remains high, but parental opt-outs gain traction post-pandemic

A new survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) found that while most Americans still support vaccine requirements for children, there is growing public support for allowing parents to opt out of school vaccination requirements for religious, medical, or philosophical reasons. The findings highlight shifting attitudes toward vaccination policy in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just over half of U.S. adults (52%) support their state requiring vaccination as a condition of school attendance in an effort to protect children who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, according to a January 2025 survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center: ©Annenberg Public Policy Center

According to the survey, 73% of U.S. adults believe it should be mandatory for parents to vaccinate their children against diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella, a slight decline from 77% in 2019. However, support for prohibiting unvaccinated children from attending school has dropped significantly, with just 52% favoring such measures, compared to 71% in 2019.

“Support for mandatory vaccination remains strong, but the public’s views on parental choice and state-level exemptions have shifted notably,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the APPC, in a statement

Partisan divides in vaccine support

The survey highlights a stark partisan divide in attitudes toward vaccine mandates. While 86% of Democrats support mandatory vaccination for children, only 62% of Republicans and 72% of independents agree. Republicans have also seen the largest increases in support for parental opt-outs, particularly for religious and philosophical reasons.

From 2019 to 2025, Republican support for personal or philosophical exemptions more than doubled, rising from 16% to 44%. Democratic support for these exemptions grew modestly, from 12% to 22%.

Public support for parental opt-outs has surged since the pandemic. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) support medical exemptions, up from 36% in 2019. Support for religious exemptions grew from 20% to 39%, and support for philosophical exemptions doubled from 17% to 35%.

Despite these shifts, public backing for state-funded vaccination programs remains robust. 84% percent of respondents support using public funds to provide free or discounted MMR vaccines, consistent with 81% in 2019.

Policy implications

Vaccine mandates are set at the state level, but federal policies and leadership can influence state decisions. President Trump has not yet acted on his campaign promise to cut federal funding for schools with vaccine mandates. If confirmed, Kennedy could shape vaccine policy through his authority to appoint members to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which guides vaccine recommendations.

The APPC survey was conducted from January 3-5, 2025, with a margin of error of ±5.2 percentage points.