Persuading people to get vaccinated for Covid-19 means understanding why they aren’t ForbesFrontlines
Leaders should safeguard against attribution bias about Covid-19 vaccinations, particularly amid the country’s collective fatigue from fighting the pandemic for so long. Vaccination decisions are often deeply personal, sometimes made only through repeated considerations over time, and are rarely one-dimensional – dynamics I’ve experienced counseling patients about vaccines long before the pandemic.
There are many reasons why someone may not want to get vaccinated that have nothing to do with either misinformation or lack of empathy. Some people may have decided to get a vaccine but are waiting for more assurance about longer-term effects. This could take the form of formal FDA approval or publication of more medical studies.
Leaders can address vaccine apathy by reducing confusion about which groups are at risk Covid-19. One unintended consequence of prior messaging – that the risk of severe Covid-19 is highest for certain groups – is that others may conclude that they have no risk. Public health messaging could also move away from just talking about Covid-19 hospitalization and death.
Of course, acknowledging variation in why people remain unvaccinated is not itself a final solution. Leaders should use a set of policies and incentives to promote safe behaviors. Strategies should account for existing distrust of the medical system, particularly among historically marginalized communities. Fighting misinformation remains critical, as does appealing to societal good and interconnectedness as principles underpinning public health.
Nonetheless, strategies to increase vaccination are likely to fail if leaders misunderstand the unvaccinated. They are not a singular group, and vaccine hesitancy is not a monolithic concept. Appreciating those realities and translating them into action can support our ongoing fight against Covid-19.
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