Religious Exemptions and Required Vaccines: Examining the Research

How often do students and employees claim vaccine mandates conflict with their religious beliefs? What are schools doing to discourage exemptions to required childhood vaccines? We look at the research.

Religious exemptions for vaccines are a protected right for parents who choose to not vaccinate their children. Shutterstock

Even as national surveys show Americans drawing away from religion, more American children are using religion to waive recommended school vaccinations.

Even before some California school districts ordered students in certain age groups to get immunized against COVID-19, research showed the percentage of kindergarteners whose parents claim vaccines conflict with their religious beliefs was on the rise.