The great age divide

A recent Pew Research Center poll aimed at discerning Americans’ views on childhood vaccinations reveals that much of the divide is based on age more than gender or ethnicity. The majority of adults (68 percent) said vaccines should be required for children and that parents should not have a choice in the matter. But when broken down by age group, the survey found that only 59 percent of those ages 18-29 felt that way, as opposed to 64 percent of those 30-49, 75 percent of 50- to 64-year-olds and 79 percent of those 65 and older. The same poll was divided by men (67 percent) and women (70 percent) as well as different ethnic groups—whites (68 percent), blacks (66 percent) and Hispanics (75 percent).