Supportive GP conversations key to addressing vaccine hesitancy
18 Feb 2026
A 2025 survey of around 2,000 parents of children under five found the top reasons for not vaccinating were:
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Feeling distressed about vaccinating (32%)
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Lack of trust in information from doctors or nurses (8.8%)
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Costs of vaccination (8.6%)
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Not prioritising vaccination appointments (8.6%)
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Belief that vaccines are unsafe (8.3%)
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Difficulty getting an appointment (7.7%)
Compared to 2024, vaccine safety concerns rose from 6% to 8.3%, and lack of trust in healthcare providers increased from 6.4% to 8.8%. At the same time, practical access issues, like cost and appointment availability, have become less significant.
Lead researcher Dr Jess Kaufman (MCRI) said:
“We’re seeing reduced vaccine confidence becoming the main influence on whether children get vaccinated on time. The challenge now is rebuilding trust through supportive, empathetic conversations with healthcare providers.”
Senior author Professor Margie Danchin added that global messaging, such as negative vaccine commentary from overseas, can also affect Australian parents’ confidence.
The study found parents of partially vaccinated children are particularly important to engage early. Compared to parents of fully vaccinated children, they were far more likely to:
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Worry about vaccine safety (54.9% vs 4.7%)
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Distrust information from their doctor or nurse (50.9% vs 5.4%)
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Not prioritise vaccination (46.4% vs 5.6%)
For parents of completely unvaccinated children, concerns were even higher, with 88.3% worried about safety and 82.4% having no intention to vaccinate.
Dr Maryke Steffens, also part of the study, said:
“Partially vaccinated children present a key opportunity for early intervention. Monitoring parents’ concerns helps tailor strategies that support informed decision-making and combat misinformation.”
The research underlines that while making services convenient and affordable remains important, trust, empathy, and clear communication from GPs are now central to improving vaccine uptake.
https://www1.racgp.org.au/
Source: Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI)