Majority of Americans (8 in 10) Support Routine Childhood Vaccine Requirements, According to New Harvard Poll

In the midst of the largest US measles outbreak in decades, a new national poll finds that more than three-quarters (79%) of American adults support school vaccine mandates for children, with bipartisan majorities and 72% of parents in agreement.¹

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The poll, conducted by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation from March 10 to 31, 2025, surveyed 2,509 US adults during the third month of a the recent multi-state measles outbreak.

“Childhood vaccine requirements are less controversial than many people may think," Brian Castrucci, Dr PH, MA, president and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, said in a statement.¹ This poll shows that they’re widely supported across political groups—and it’s heartening to see that so many Americans understand the importance of vaccination, which remains a fundamental pillar of public health and disease prevention.”¹

Among the 21% who do not support school vaccine requirements, the most common objection is grounded in autonomy rather than safety. Seventy-nine percent of these respondents cited parental choice as a major reason, compared to 40% who cited safety concerns. Other concerns voiced by this group included¹:

• 66% distrust of government and industry influence
• 64% fears of future vaccine overreach
• 54% perceived profit motives of vaccine developers

Backing for School Mandates

In contrast, the most widely cited reasons for supporting school vaccine requirements were vaccine effectiveness (90%) and a sense of family responsibility to maintain safe school environments (87%). Other major reasons included:

• 84% concerns about resurgence of diseases like measles without mandates
• 81% protecting children who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons
• 76–80% long safety track record of routine vaccines

Importantly, the survey authors emphasized that fewer than half (49%) of supporters cited trust in government agencies as a major factor.

“At this point, public opposition to childhood vaccine policies is often more about parental rights than vaccine safety,” Gillian SteelFisher, PhD, MA, director of the Harvard Opinion Research Program and principal research scientist at the Harvard Chan School. “As the country leans on vaccine policies to help address its largest measles outbreak in decades, public health leaders need to be prepared to bring empathy to conversations that go beyond just trying to convince people vaccines are safe.”¹

As of June 25, 2025, the CDC reported a total of 1227 confirmed measles cases across 37 jurisdictions. So far, there have been 23 outbreaks reported, and 89% of cases are associated with an outbreak. In 2024, there were 285 cases, with 69% being associated with 1 of 16 outbreaks.² Of concern this year are the data showing that 29% of infections were among children younger than 5 years and another 37% among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years.^2,3 One in 5 of the youngest Americans infected with measles was hospitalized, according to the CDC. Nearly all cases identified (95%) were in individuals who had not received the MMR vaccine or whose vaccination status was unknown.²

The CDC data continue to alarm public health officials, making the Harvard poll findings suggestive of a bright spot. The survey also found broad public confidence in vaccine safety. Overall, 91% of respondents said routine childhood vaccines are safe for most children, including 63% who believe they are “very safe” and 28% who believe they are “somewhat safe.” Safety confidence was highest among Democrats (97%), followed by Republicans (88%), MAGA supporters (84%), and parents (88%). However, fewer Republicans (51%) and MAGA supporters (47%) considered vaccines “very safe,” compared to 80% of Democrats.¹

References

1. Brownstein M. Poll: amid multi-state measles outbreak, 79% of Americans support routine childhood vaccine requirements. News release. Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. June 25, 2025. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/poll-amid-multi-state-measles-outbreak-79-of-americans-support-routine-childhood-vaccine-requirements/

2. CDC. Measles Cases and Outbreaks. Updated June 25, 2025. Accessed June 30, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html

3. Halsey G. Endemic measles is a clear and present danger, according to Stanford University modeling study. Patient Care. April 25, 2025. https://www.patientcareonline.com/view/endemic-measles-is-a-clear-and-present-danger-according-to-stanford-university-modeling-study

Full topline results and methodology are available at Harvard Chan School’s public opinion research page.