A new study published in Vaccine explores how Chinese parents weigh safety, convenience, and cost when it comes to their children’s immunizations—and finds that safety overwhelmingly drives decision-making. Conducted across five cities and involving over 1,800 parents of infants, the survey and discrete choice experiment revealed strong preferences for vaccines that prevent more diseases per dose and reduce injection frequency. Parents were especially willing to pay more for safety: over half indicated willingness to pay around 200 CNY (≈ US$28) per avoided serious adverse reaction—far more than for convenience improvements such as shorter travel times or reduced crying.
The study highlights that as China’s family policies evolve and expectations for high-quality healthcare rise, demand for safer and more efficient vaccination experiences is growing. The findings suggest that developing and procuring combination vaccines, while improving safety communication, could substantially enhance parental satisfaction and coverage rates. Policymakers and manufacturers may therefore find that investments in vaccine safety assurance and formulation innovation yield strong public support and potential economic returns.
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