As debates over the security of childhood vaccines and belief in public well being steering play out within the U.S., findings from the most recent KFF/Washington Publish Survey of Mother and father reveal how dad and mom encounter well being data on social media and the way it might form their choices. One-third (34%) of oldsters say they’ve seen social media content material associated to childhood vaccines and about three in ten report seeing kids’s health-related content material on social media weekly or each day (29%). Notably, many dad and mom discover it tough to discern whether or not health-related data they see on-line is reliable (38%), and few say there’s a specific influencer they belief in terms of details about kids’s well being (15%). Regardless, solely a small share of oldsters says kids’s vaccine-related data on social media impacts them, with 4% saying it has made it simpler to make vaccine choices for his or her kids and one other 4% saying it has made these choices harder.
Mother and father’ Publicity to Kids’s Well being-Associated Content material
Many dad and mom report seeing social media content material associated to kids’s well being, even when they don’t seem to be actively in search of it out. About eight in ten (79%) dad and mom say they see data or recommendation about kids’s well being no less than sometimes, in comparison with only one in 5 (21%) who say they by no means see this content material. About three in ten (29%) dad and mom say they see data or recommendation about kids’s well being on social media each day (11%) or weekly (18%). About one in ten reviews seeing this content material about as soon as a month (12%), and about 4 in ten report seeing it sometimes (38%).
In comparison with their counterparts, bigger shares of oldsters beneath age 35 (36%), moms (35%), Black dad and mom (33%), Hispanic dad and mom (36%), and Democratic dad and mom (33%) say they see this content material no less than weekly, even when they don’t seem to be on the lookout for it.
Do Mother and father Belief Influencers When It Involves Common Well being and Wellness Recommendation?
Among the health-related content material shared on social media comes from influencers, people who’ve a big following on social media and infrequently submit about problems with curiosity. Whereas some social media customers comply with particular influencers, others could also be uncovered to posts from influencers they don’t comply with, as algorithms promote content material prone to curiosity them. With recent moves from large tech companies to do away with third occasion truth checking, assessing the validity of this content material could be difficult.
This KFF/Washington Publish Survey of Mother and father reveals many dad and mom discover it tough to know what to belief in terms of well being content material shared by influencers. Whereas a few third (35%) of oldsters say it’s “very straightforward” or “considerably straightforward” to know what recommendation to belief when it comes from well being and wellness influencers they see on social media, about 4 in ten (38%) say it’s “considerably tough” or “very tough.” This contains between one-third and 4 in ten dad and mom throughout gender, age, race, ethnicity, and partisanship that say it’s no less than “considerably tough” to discern whether or not recommendation from influencers is reliable.
About one in seven (15%) dad and mom say there’s a specific influencer they belief in terms of data and recommendation about kids’s well being, although simply 4% can title the influencer whereas one in eight (12%) say they’ll’t bear in mind the influencer’s title. About eight in ten (84%) dad and mom say there may be both no specific influencer on social media they belief in terms of data and recommendation about kids’s well being (58%) or that they don’t see content material from well being and wellness influencers (27%).
Of the few dad and mom who have been capable of title an influencer they belief (4%), the names talked about embody a wide range of people and social media accounts. Only a few influencers have been talked about by multiple father or mother who responded to the survey, suggesting that the well being data dad and mom get from influencers represents a spectrum of high quality and viewpoints. Whereas some influencers named (together with “Dr. Beachgem10” and “Dr. Lauren Hughes”) seem from their profiles to be practising medical docs, many others are celebrities or different personalities with out medical credentials.
The share of oldsters who say they’ve a selected influencer they belief most in terms of data and recommendation about kids’s well being varies by age, race, ethnicity, and vaccine choices. Youthful dad and mom (21%), Black dad and mom (21%), and Hispanic dad and mom (18%) are extra seemingly than their counterparts to say there may be an influencer they belief, although few can title a particular influencer. Mother and father who report having ever skipped or delayed a vaccine for his or her kids are additionally extra seemingly than those that have saved their kids updated on vaccines to say there may be an influencer they belief for recommendation about kids’s well being (20% v. 14%), although few in both group can title the influencer. Related shares of supporters of the Make America Wholesome Once more (MAHA) motion (15%) and non-MAHA supporters (15%) additionally say this.
When requested which comes closest to their view, about eight in ten (84%) dad and mom say well being influencers are largely motivated by “monetary pursuits” whereas 15% say they’re largely motivated by “serving the general public curiosity.” Giant majorities of oldsters throughout age, race and ethnicity, and partisanship say well being influencers are motivated by monetary pursuits, although Black dad and mom and youthful dad and mom are extra seemingly than their counterparts to say well being influencers are motivated by serving the general public good (26% and 19%, respectively) – the identical teams who usually tend to say there’s a particular influencer they belief in terms of data and recommendation about kids’s well being.
Childhood Vaccine-Associated Content material on Social Media
Childhood vaccine suggestions have been a frequent topic of stories protection because the appointment of HHS Secretary Kennedy, together with changes and actions on the state and federal ranges. These modifications might depart dad and mom with questions, and a few might flip to social media for recommendation.
The KFF/Washington Publish Survey of Mother and father finds one-third (34%) of oldsters say they’ve ever seen data or recommendation about vaccines for kids on social media. Notably, practically half (45%) of oldsters who’ve skipped or delayed vaccines for his or her kids other than COVID-19 or flu say they’ve seen content material associated to vaccines for kids on-line, in comparison with about one-third (32%) of oldsters who’ve saved their kids updated who say the identical.
In comparison with their counterparts, considerably bigger shares of moms (37%), dad and mom beneath age 35 (38%), and oldsters who help the MAHA motion (37%) say they’ve ever seen data on-line about kids’s vaccines.
About one in 5 (19%) dad and mom say they see vaccine content material that could be a “mixture of each” pro- and anti-vaccine, whereas fewer see content material that’s “largely pro-vaccine” (8%) or “largely anti-vaccine” (7%). Notably, amongst dad and mom who report skipping or delaying vaccines for his or her kids, related shares say they see largely anti-vaccine (12%) or largely pro-vaccine (10%) content material on-line, and about one in 4 (24%) report seeing a mixture of each.
Democratic dad and mom usually tend to say they see pro-vaccine content material on-line than Republican dad and mom (13% vs. 7%), whereas related shares report seeing largely anti-vaccine content material (7% and eight%). About one in seven (15%) Democratic dad and mom and one in 5 Republican and impartial dad and mom see content material that’s largely a mixture of each.
Whereas MAHA supporters are barely extra prone to say they’ve ever seen content material associated to childhood vaccines on-line, related shares of MAHA supporters and non-MAHA supporters total say they see largely pro-vaccine content material or largely anti-vaccine content material.
As many dad and mom report lack of trust in health and wellness influencers, and amidst the broader confusion and uncertainty the general public feels about what’s true on-line, few dad and mom say publicity to content material about kids’s vaccines has made the choice simpler (4%) or tougher (4%) to make vaccine choices for his or her kids. One-quarter (26%) of oldsters say publicity to childhood vaccine-related data on social media has not made it simpler nor harder to make choices about vaccinating their very own kids.
These shares are related throughout father or mother age, partisanship, race, and ethnicity. Amongst dad and mom who report skipping or delaying vaccines for his or her kids, 9% say social media content material has made their choices simpler, 7% say it has made it tougher, and three in ten say it hasn’t made a lot distinction.
