Majority of B.C. parents want mandatory COVID-19 vaccines in K-to-12 classrooms: poll

A majority of Canadian parents want to see a COVID-19 vaccine requirement in the K-to-12 school system, a new poll suggests.

On Friday, the Angus Reid Institute released a survey that found 74 per cent of respondents with a child aged 12 to 17, and 81 per cent with a child aged five to 11, said vaccines should be mandatory for teachers and other school staff.

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British Columbia leads the way, with 69 per cent of parents wanting to see both mandatory vaccines and masks for any adult entering a school.

“While vaccine passports are becoming a reality across the country – even where they were once resisted – no province has followed the lead of American and Australian school districts and made vaccines mandatory for teachers,” a news release reads.

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“If a province were to follow through on such a proposal, the measure would be well received among Canadian parents.”

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The wide-ranging survey on back-to-school issues suggests that a majority of parents are comfortable with their kids returning to the classroom rather than doing online schooling: Three-quarters of respondents with a child aged 12 to 17 said, as did two-thirds of those with a child aged five to 11.

B.C. offered some of the most limited virtual and online options in the country in the 2020-21 school year.

The province has produced numerous studies showing transmission of the virus in schools only reflected transmission in the community.

Most students in the system — those under 12 years old — are still not eligible to receive the vaccine.

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B.C. also leads the way in favour of requiring eligible students to be vaccinated to attend school.

The national average is 46 per cent of parents supporting both mask and vaccine mandates for those aged 12 to 17, while in B.C., the support grows to 58 per cent.

B.C. is also ahead when it comes to concern about children getting sick. Nearly 70 per cent of parents said they are either very or moderately concerned their kids will contract COVID-19, compared to the national average of 57 per cent.

This poll was conducted from Aug. 24-30, 2021, among a sample of 804 Canadian parents who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. It also includes an online survey from Aug. 29-30, 2021, among a sample of 122 Canadian parents who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. It is accurate to within +/ – three to nine percentage points, 19 times out of 20.