Table A3.

Open-ended survey responses by parents' intentions to vaccinate their children.

Open-ended question: “How can health officials in Canada improve information and/or access to COVID-19 vaccines for parents deciding whether to vaccinate their children?”
Common themes % (n)	Examples of responses by parents' intention to vaccinate their child (5–11 years) against COVID-19 (n = 522)
	Intend to vaccinate 60.3% (n = 315)	Undecided 20.1% (n = 105)	No intention to vaccinate 19.5% (n = 102)
Methods of delivering information about COVID-19 vaccination for children 36.4 (190)	65.8 (125) -Advertising on social networks -More commercials and info being put out -Have flyers on the walls in the health center -Using social media, like a facebook and tik tok -Through a doctor and showing detailed supporting research. Perhaps through the dial a doctor service -Information in schools. -Advertising, government website -Make the information easily accessible and simple to understand -Have info in English in Quebec -Have persons with turbans or people of color distributing the vaccine -More communication through traditional media offered in multiple languages (ex: television, radio, newspapers…) -Have councillors on site to discuss side effects or hesitancies with parents	21.1 (40) -Distribute information in various languages -Use non-traditional media to reach opposing groups -By encouraging them -Reassure them and tell them the truth -Continue to inform people well with health professionals -Social media -Through family doctors, pediatricians, school, by email -Make trial data including any negative side effects not only available, but easy to find -Communicate simply and to the point to convey your meaning	13.2 (25) -Explain to us how it is possible in Quebec that 100% of journalists broadcast the government's message without ever asking any interesting questions -By having family doctors talk more about the risks and the benefits of the vaccine to ensure parents are well informed -On public health sites -They should family physicians with knowledge help parents to decide -Talk about it in school —Be more truthful about the ingredients and the side effects -Information changes too often so it's hard to follow and believe in this information -Hold meetings that parents can come ask questions at
Types of knowledge/information about COVID-19 vaccines for children 26.6 (139)	59.0 (82) -Communicate scientific information on the benefits of vaccination for children and communities -Creating public awareness on the benefits of being vaccinated against this disease -Creating awareness on the benefits of being vaccinated -Clearly explain the advantages vs. disadvantages -Information to kids at school -Highlighting long term benefits -Just show the work done to prove it's safe. Show the timeline of evidence/testing -Provide more proof of the effectiveness of the vaccine -More information on the risks to children, if any -Make sure that the information is verifiable, correct, addresses any concerns that people may have -More information addressing the positive aspects of vaccination must be disseminated -Prove that it is safe for them -Provide lots of information about the pros and cons of the vaccine	28.1 (39) -Speaking more about the results of clinical trials -If he needs 3 doses the vaccine is in no way effective and should not be offered -Clearly communicate the ingredients of the vaccines, the cases of complications following the administration of the vaccine -Information and reports about how vaccines will protect children's health. -Provide long term studies and side effects long term for developing children prior to giving the vaccine to children -Provide more information on the risk and the long term side effects of the vaccine -I want to know if the vaccine was safe for my child -More science and more evidence that kids under the age of 12 need to be vaccinated. We don't have enough data to support the need to vaccinate the younger population -To be 100% true and accurate that it will not harm our children in any way and to be very effective	12.9 (18) -Show more information on vaccine and trials -Stop hiding serious and less serious side effects leave all staff and doctors to be free to be against covid vaccines -Tell the truth about the risks. Follow through on the informed part of “informed consent” -Make children aware of the benefits of vaccination -Proof of effectiveness, and risks of getting the vaccine. Ultimately the benefits need to outweigh the risks. Are children susceptible to covid, how does it affect them compared to the elderly. -Information is vital. However since the vaccine hasn't been around long or given to kids this feels high risk to me -Let parents know about all the side effects for children
Public health policy regarding COVID-19 vaccination for children 14.6 (76)	36.8 (28) -Giving out more rewards - Require the vaccination passport for them [anti-vaccinators] too and prevent them from having access to public places —No choice, make it [vaccines] mandatory to go to school -Anti vaxxers should be penalized in some way make it mandatory for any service to have vaccine food, bank, store etc. -Make it mandatory to attend public school so all kids and staff are safe -They should make it [vaccines] mandatory for all children 12 and over -It [vaccines] should be mandatory.	17.1 (13) -Do not force the vaccination, present the statistics -Don't force mandates and test long term effects -Leave the choice to [parents] and do not try to influence their choice and promising the end of the measures if they have their children vaccinated -Require the teacher and other adults to do so [vaccinate] -It should be a choice, not obligatory or mandatory to get vaccinated just like the rest of the vaccines -Let us choose without constraining anyone and thus divide the population -I think kids can decide for themselves -It should be on a voluntary basis and should not be forced	46.1 (35) -Don't force or coerce. Make everything optional. Human beings' free will needs to be respected -Leave us [to] decide what we want to do with our bodies and our children's bodies -Have healthy debates on the subject to have both sides of the coin and allow you to get your head around the issue. Do not divide the population -Let parents have the final decision on whether the kid should be vaccinated or not -Do not make it an obligation without measuring the potential consequences in the years to come -Why should parents immunize their healthy children? Children are more likely to have side effects from vaccination -Vaccinating children in exchange for the promise of freedom is the abuse of power -Give us more time to weigh the options
Access to COVID-19 vaccines for children 13.6 (71)	88.7 (63) -Conduct vaccination clinics in schools -On night and weekend and at school -Set up vaccine clinics at schools and through family doctors -Paid time to get children vaccinated -Family vaccination schedules for flu/covid19 -Isolated and safe places to vaccinate the little ones —As for access, it needs to be widely available- clinics/pharmacies/doctor's offices/schools etc. -Provide the service in schools during class time	8.5 (6) -Immunize, with parental consent, at school -Vaccination in schools and wait to be sure that there will be very few side effects for our children -Hold vaccine clinics in the school. Or have the children's doctors/health care provided administer the vaccine	2.8 (2) -Health officials in Canada can improve information and access to things, by letting parents have informed consent about COVID-19 and then allow them to make their own decisions accordingly for their children. -Vaccination in schools
Transparency about risks of COVID-19 disease and vaccination 11.3 (59)	32.2 (19) —Be more transparent with any side effects people have had and numbers of people who may have had problems -Explain, without hiding anything -Continue to be as transparent as possible about the process, and outcomes of vaccination for young children	23.7 (14) -Real transparency; clearly communicate the ingredients of the vaccines, the cases of complications following the administration of the vaccine, the real possible complications for children who contract the virus —Be transparent about the risks and consequences on the state of health of children -Make trial data including any negative side effects not only available, but easy to find —Be transparent about tests, side effects	44.1 (26) -Allow the various specialists who have different opinions to be able to express themselves and not to muzzle them as we are doing now -Tell the truth about the risks -Leave room for debate, stop censorship of doctors, be transparent -Do not lie -Full disclosure ALL ingredients -Allow scientific debate by scientists and make it accessible to its population -Stop censorship
Areas for further research regarding COVID-19 disease and vaccination for children 8.4 (44)	45.5 (20) -More in depth studies -Prove that it is safe for them -Do interviews with pediatric specialists and maybe go see countries where children have been vaccinated -More legal and validated studies proving efficacy -There needs to be over and above trials prior to giving vaccine to children under 12 -Show how it will 100% not cause infertility even by a small percentage, this is a prime worry for most minorities -More studies and more time to see how it affects the people in trials	15.9 (7) -Test long term effects -Long-term studies -Provide long term studies and side effects long term for developing children -We don't have enough data to support the need to vaccinate the younger population	38.6 (17) -Study not paid by Pfizer and longer study -Provide statistics on children's intensive care hospitalizations -Do bigger studies that are more likely to capture reactions, like myocarditis -Go back to the drawing board with the vaccine and realize first results are not always the best results.… we are talking science here…science is supposed to have peer review and a constant improvement -More research and testing -More research on side effects
Mis/disinformation about COVID-19 disease and vaccination for children 5.4 (28)	60.7 (17) -Counteracting misinformation on social media and in fringe media is essential for the health and wellbeing of everyone -By limiting spread of false info that uninformed newscasts [are] spreading into communities. -Counter false information -Directly address conspiracy theories about vaccine safety -Make sure that the information is verifiable, correct, addresses any concerns that people may have, and addresses misinformation that some may be influenced by	7.2 (2) -Fight against disinformation on social networks -Get rid of the fake news and info circling social media	32.1 (9) -Don't misinform people by dividing them up -Health officials has done enough of misinforming people about COVID -Do not tell lies