2025 national survey – childhood influenza vaccination barriers in Australia Key findings summary This page presents key findings from the 2025 National Vaccination Insights project survey of 2,012 parents of children under 5 years of age. The study was conducted by NCIRS, the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and the University of Sydney.It examined 15 common access and acceptance barriers to childhood influenza vaccination using a validated survey developed in Australia. Responses were then compared with the results from the 2024 survey.Access barriers are practical factors that make it difficult for parents to vaccinate their child against influenza, even when they want to. Acceptance barriers are beliefs or concerns that reduce parents’ confidence or willingness to vaccinate their child against influenza. Jump to sectionKey messagesPrevalence of childhood influenza vaccination barriers in 2025Barriers most strongly associated with not vaccinating against influenza in 2025Changes in barriers to childhood influenza vaccination between 2024 and 2025 Key messagesThe top 10 most common barriers in 2025 were related to influenza vaccine acceptanceThe barrier most strongly associated with not vaccinating in 2025 was choosing not to prioritise an influenza vaccination over other things All 11 acceptance barriers and all 4 access barriers were more common among parents of unvaccinated children than parents of vaccinated children in 2025Nine of the 11 acceptance barriers were more common in 2025 than 2024, while access barriers remained stable or slightly declinedAccess comprehensive findings from the survey (pre-print) Prevalence of childhood influenza vaccination barriers in 2025 Prevalence of 15 common access and acceptance barriers to influenza vaccination reported by all parents, parents of vaccinated children, and parents of unvaccinated children in 2025. Barriers most strongly associated with not vaccinating against influenza in 2025To understand why some children are not vaccinated against influenza, we compared barriers between parents of vaccinated children and parents of unvaccinated children. All 11 acceptance barriers and all 4 access barriers were more common among parents of unvaccinated children than parents of vaccinated children. Top 4 barriers associated with parents of children who were not vaccinated against influenza Changes in barriers to childhood influenza vaccination between 2024 and 2025To understand whether barriers to childhood influenza vaccination are becoming more or less common over time, we compared responses of all surveyed parents in 2024 with all surveyed parents in 2025. 9 of 11 acceptance barriers were more common in 2025 than 2024 Not choosing to prioritise influenza vaccination: 15.7% → 32.3% Not anticipating feel guilty if unvaccinated child got influenza: 15.5% → 30.6%Not intending to give child the influenza vaccine in the next season: 12.2% → 26.0%Not believing the influenza vaccine is effective: 9.7% → 22.2%Not believing the influenza vaccine protects others: 9.5% → 18.5%People close to me do not support influenza vaccination: 9.9% → 15.8%Do not believe influenza vaccine is safe: 8.5%% → 15.3%Do not trust information about influenza vaccine from doctor/nurse: 9.2% → 12.2%Do not believe vaccinating on time is my responsibility: 7.4% → 10.6% Acceptance barrier that was less common in 2025 than 2024Feeling distressed about vaccinating: 66.0% → 43.9% Access barriers that were less common in 2025 than 2024* Not being able to discuss vaccination in preferred language: 7.1% → 4.3% Finding it difficult to travel to a vaccination appointment: 5.3% → 3.1% *No access barriers increased in prevalence between 2024 and 2025. Access comprehensive findings from the survey (pre-print) Back to childhood influenza vaccination insights 203 views
