Social network, Biden approval, and pediatric COVID‐19 vaccine uptake

Abstract

This study aims to estimate the pediatric COVID‐19 vaccine uptake and the impact of social network and Biden approval. A national survey was conducted by Qualtrics from September 26 to 19 October 2022, and respondents who identified as primary guardians of children under 18 are included in this study. Findings show that parents are more likely to vaccinate children between 12 and 17 than children between 5 and 11 or below 5. The means of measures for social network and Biden approval for parents who have vaccinated children across different age groups are significantly higher than the corresponding means for parents whose children remain unvaccinated. Structural equation modeling results suggest the social network and Biden approval positively affect parents' decision to vaccinate children. The former predictor also mediates the latter on the outcome measure. The findings are significant when analyzing the sample of parents with children over five. These findings contribute to the literature and have policy implications for leveraging interventions and optimizing vaccination for children.