Key qualitative findings – childhood vaccines funded under the National Immunisation Program

This page provides a summary of parents' free-text responses to optional questions included in the 2025 national survey – childhood vaccination barriers in Australia on childhood vaccines funded under the National Immunisation Program.

Qualitative data collected that influenced parental decision-making around vaccinating their child comprised thoughts on:

• Scheduling a vaccination appointment when a child’s vaccination is due
• Affording costs associated with vaccinating a child
• Feeling distressed when thinking about vaccinating a child
• Prioritising a child’s vaccination appointments over other things
• Things parents had heard recently about childhood vaccination that worried them.

Scheduling a vaccination appointment when a child's vaccination is due

Lack of appointment availability (additional impacts of health workforce shortage in regional/rural areas)

‘In the small town I live in, you have to book months in advance to ensure my child gets her vaccinations on time.’

• Lack of convenient appointment times

‘The nurses at the GP usually only work during school hrs which is when I work so I need to take time off to book in.’ 

• Difficulty using clinic booking systems
• Clinic cancelling/rescheduling appointments
• Being charged consultation fees

‘Unable to find free clinics or bulk bill options.’

Ready availability of vaccination appointments

• Easy booking system facilitated by online/automated booking 
• Good availability of nurses to administer vaccination

‘Just book online, can be done with nurse at GP practice and don’t have to wait for an appt with a doctor to open up.’

• Vaccination offered as walk-in/no appointment needed

‘I have been taking them to Community Health where appointments are not needed.’

• No consultation fees

‘I have a local GP that is bulk billed and open extended hours.’

• Receiving reminders
• Proactively scheduling child’s vaccination well in advance

‘Generally I book a month before it's due. I don't leave it last minute’

• Financial incentive to keep child up to date with National Immunisation Program vaccinations

Affording costs associated with vaccinating a child

Practical reasons why parents found this difficult 

• Out-of-pocket costs of vaccines not covered under the National Immunisation Program 

‘I got my child men b vaccinations even though they were really expensive as they are not free for non-Indigenous people. It put me out of pocket a lot and had to go without decent food for a few weeks, but I felt it was important to get my child vaccinated.’

• Inadequate governmental support for vaccines not covered under the National Immunisation Program

‘I was unable to give my child one of the vaccines that the doctor recommended that was not covered by Medicare.’

Feeling distressed when thinking about vaccinating a child

Practical reasons why parents felt distressed 

• Costs/time off work associated with vaccination appointment 
• Anticipating needing to manage side-effects of vaccination
   

Thinking/feeling reasons why parents felt distressed

• Parental feelings of sadness and responsibility when anticipating the distress their child will feel

‘Kids are not big on jabs and they get multiple jabs at a time. It is stressful managing their emotions.’

• Parental own or child’s poor previous vaccine experiences
• Safety concerns and worry/fear about short- or long-term side-effects

‘I believe in vaccinations but there is some doubt – what if I don't have all the info or know all the side effects? Will I regret my choices in the future?’

Social influences impacting parental distress

• Reported availability of negative information about vaccines (vaccine misinformation)
• Hearing conflicting medical or vaccine advice
• Wanting personal agency to decide about childhood vaccination and perceptions there is government pressure to vaccinate

‘The government are so pushy with vaccinations when I should be able to decide when and if my child is vaccinated or not.’

• Pressure from others/system to vaccinate but wanting to choose when to vaccinate their child

‘I vaccinate because I have been given no choice. We are living in a society where I cannot afford to stay home there forever they have to be at school and all schools require vaccination.’

• Lack of trust in health/government systems, in particular since COVID-19

Prioritising a child's vaccination appointments over other things

Practical reasons why parents found this difficult 

• Too busy with work/life priorities

‘Well there is a range of other things that are important as well, so moving appointments based around life and what is happening. If the vaccine appointment is a couple of weeks late I am not too fussed.’

Thinking/feeling reasons why parents found this difficult 

‘Booking a vaccination appointment exactly on time was never high on my priority – I would not sacrifice other more important events to do so.’

• Questioning usefulness, safety and effectiveness of vaccines

‘I am very cautious about vaccinations and often put them off until absolutely necessary.’

Things parents had heard recently about childhood vaccination that worried them

Safety concerns

• Vaccine ingredients are unsafe or unknown 

‘The chemicals in the vaccinations are often discussed and I get a bit worried about the chemical overload or toxicity in which some ingredients occur. I try to live as low tox as possible.’

• Vaccines compromise natural immunity
• Vaccine schedule is unsafe

‘The multiple doses in the one vaccination is too much for a baby/child to handle.’

• Research purportedly highlighting vaccine risks

‘The ten year-long study that just came out that has proven vaccines cause higher rates of autism, childhood disease and autoimmune conditions.’

• Vaccines causing poor health outcomes/illness – diseases of immune system, developmental problems (mainly related to autism), genetic diseases, and death

‘That they cause problems, illness and other things. They cause inflammation of the brain.’

• Professional whistleblowers claiming critical safety data is being covered up

‘Continued links to autoimmune and other serious chronic conditions that are not taken seriously by health authorities. Especially when brave doctors, nurses and pharmaceutical professionals whistleblow and risk their and their families entire way of life to highlight critical safety data that is scrubbed, hidden or washed over.’

Low perceived threat of disease

• Vaccine preventable diseases are not serious
• Contracting disease forms natural immunity

‘The actual disease isn't that serious if they do catch it and they get natural immunity when they catch it.’

Issues affecting trust in vaccination

• Commercial profiteering

‘The pharmaceutical companies behaviour seems to be entirely profit motivated and are entirely operated for shareholder profits and corporate high paying salaries.’

• Medical negligence

‘Nurse says she is giving vaccine on her left leg but in rush she gave it to her right leg.’

• Pressure from the system/government to vaccinate 

‘We are forced to vaccinate or we are penalised. It should be our choice as parents without being penalised if we decide against it.’

• Reported lack of adequate, trustworthy research
• Influence of negative vaccine messaging coming from the United States (online, in traditional media and by high-profile people and political figures)

‘It’s all over the media. What’s happening in America etc. it should be questioned. If it was 100% safe there wouldn’t be all this contradictory information circulating.’

• Increase in the number of people who share vaccine misinformation and/or who choose not to vaccinate their children
• Rise in the anti-vax movement

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