Familial Educational Factors and COVID-19 Vaccine Beliefs Among Mexican-Origin Youth

Mexican-origin youth, a substantial and expanding demographic among U.S. youth, were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Understanding the factors shaping their COVID-19 vaccine beliefs is crucial for informing future pandemic preparedness and vaccination promotion efforts targeting this vulnerable population. While previous research has established links between education and health literacy (i.e., COVID-19 vaccine beliefs), most studies focus solely on educational attainment. Given that most youth have not yet fully realized their educational attainment, this study further investigates how youth's educational expectations and parents' educational levels influence their COVID-19 vaccine beliefs. Using data from 229 Mexican-origin youth, along with 224 of their mothers and 100 of their fathers, this study assesses the impact of youth's educational expectations, educational attainment, and their parents' educational attainment on their COVID-19 vaccine beliefs including motivation, attitudes, information access, and hesitancy. Regression analyses suggests a significant influence of youth's educational expectations on their attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines, surpassing the impact of the youths and their parents' educational attainment. These results underscore the importance of fostering and nurturing educational aspirations among minority youth. Future studies should acknowledge the multifaceted nature of education as a determinant of youth's COVID-19 vaccine beliefs, encompassing not only attainment but also educational expectations and parents' educational attainments.