HALIFAX, NS December 17, 2019: The vast majority of Atlantic Canadians support mandatory vaccinations for school aged children, according to a recent survey by Narrative Research.
Nine in ten Atlantic Canadians either completely or mostly support this concept, which is not yet mandatory in all Atlantic Canadian provinces. In contrast, less than one in ten residents oppose mandatory vaccination for school aged children, and three percent do not know, or could not provide an answer.
Support for mandatory vaccinations is generally consistent across the Atlantic provinces, with ‘complete support’ increasing slightly with age. Females are more likely than males to express complete support (69% vs 61%) for mandatory vaccinations.
At present, Ontario and New Brunswick are the only two provinces in Canada requiring vaccinations for school aged children. The rationale for mandating vaccinations in other provinces would be to increase vaccination rates. It would see all children entering school, at any age, to be able to prove they had been immunized, or to provide medical exemption of some kind.
“The growing number of measles cases across Canada this year reignited public discussion about mandatory vaccinations for school aged children.” said Margaret Brigley, CEO of Narrative Research. “Across Atlantic Canada, there are multiple organizations challenging the suggestion that school aged children be vaccinated before they can attend school, citing in particular the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Those groups clearly represent a vocal minority.”
These results are part of Narrative Research’s Atlantic Quarterly®, an independent, quarterly telephone survey of Atlantic Canadians, and are based on a random sample of 1,500 adult Atlantic Canadians, conducted from October 31 to November 22, 2019. Overall results are accurate to within ±2.5%, 95 out of 100 times.
Narrative Research, www.narrativeresearch.ca, is one of Canada’s leading public opinion and market research companies. Founded in 1978, Narrative Research is dedicated to providing clients with state-of-the-art research and strategic consulting services. Follow us on Twitter @EveryNarrative.
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For more information, please contact:
Margaret Brigley, CEO and Partner
at (902) 493-3830, mbrigley@narrativeresearch.ca
or Margaret Chapman, COO and Partner
at (902) 493-3834, mchapman@narrativeresearch.ca
