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Still, the majority (74 per cent) polled agreed that people campaigning against vaccines are “irresponsible” and seven in 10 Canadians, whether or not they have children at home, said they would support mandatory immunizations, removing a parent’s right to opt out.

These aren’t hard-core anti-vaxxers — these are people who are being exposed to the misinformation and want to do the best for their kids, but feel conflicted

Twenty per cent of parents who have children under the age of 12, meanwhile, said it should remain a parent’s choice. Conservatives were twice as likely as Liberal or NDP voters to agree the choice should be that of the parent.

Even though a third of Canadians said they were unsure of the science around vaccines, they weren’t necessarily saying it’s wrong, or misleading, said Angus Reid’s executive director Shachi Kurl.

“If you are somebody who has not always understood why a flu shot works one year and not the next, or why some vaccines appear to be more effective than others, there can be some confusion about the clarity of the science,” Kurl said.

“We’re also in an era now that has a higher propensity, and a higher level of skepticism towards the so-called experts,” she said. “It may be that what we’re seeing is the reflection of people saying, ‘well, no I don’t think the science is quite clear, and just because it’s science doesn’t mean that it is by definition clear.’ We see this in the climate science debate, and other debates as well.”

That said, the hesitancy doesn’t appear to have much bearing over whether people think vaccines work, Kurl said. Nine in 10 agreed that vaccines are effective at reducing the risk of diseases spreading, and 83 per cent said they would vaccinate their own children, without reservation. Five per cent were against vaccinating their children outright.