Journal of community health
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Childhood vaccine hesitancy has been studied extensively before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic presented new barriers to pediatric vaccinations. Furthermore, the development of COVID-19 vaccines has complicated factors underlying vaccine hesitancy. ⋯ We found that routine childhood vaccine hesitancy increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly due to increased risk perception. Key contributing demographic factors behind both childhood vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy included household income and race. Understanding factors behind routine childhood vaccine hesitancy is crucial to maintaining pediatric vaccination rates and promoting vaccine confidence during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.