vaccination

In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report highlighting the strategies to improve public trust in vaccination. This guidance material on building trust and responding to crises also outlines how people make decisions about vaccination through data. Wondering about the relevance of this document today? Well, the Covid-19 vaccine drive is being carried out extensively and the most prominent challenge faced is gaining the trust of the public. Despite several attempts by the authorities and healthcare providers, vaccine hesitancy largely prevails around the globe. Some of the reasons include safety and efficacy concerns, preferring physiological immunity, distrust in the organizations, fear of co-morbidities and fatal side effects, and other religious or superstitious reasons. There have been bizarre cases in India, where people jumped into a river to save themselves from getting jabbed. 

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the stark divide and lack of healthcare around the globe, and we witnessed how the organizations, both public and private are striving to bridge this gap and provide necessary services. A similar dilemma also affected the vaccine and the communication strategy about it. Sometimes the distrust and hesitancy towards vaccine adoption were born out of fear and other times it was vague or unclear. To identify and analyze the reasons for this hesitancy and aid in developing the right communication strategy, the World Economic Forum conducted a study. The WE Forum collaborated with Dr. Heidi Larson, a domain expert from the Vaccine Confidence Project (VCP) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, to run an analysis, powered by NetBase Quid technology.

The report highlights 5 key data insights that can build trust among people regarding the vaccine. 

  • “Protection” is the most common positive word used in different platforms concerned with vaccination. Organizations should talk more about the protection that the vaccine can provide them. This term occurred more than 10 times frequently than the next popular word, which is “stop infection”. 
  • It defines how labeling can polarize discussions on vaccinations and implying a moral obligation can take people away from the vaccination process. While they are labeled as anti-vax, it will imply that people who do not take vaccines are selfish and are not abiding by their duty to society. Hence, commenting on hesitant or people with low confidence in getting jabbed should be avoided. 
  • Simple and relatable messages gained more trust and spread positive vibes. Authentic and simple messages and images received attention and engagement. Putting out relatable examples than projecting celebrities or politicians will help. 
  • Trust is the key element of vaccine confidence since people mostly have fear or distrust in systems and authorities. Thus, it is imperative to understand the reasons behind vaccine hesitancy and approaching it with empathy. Labeling and judging people with low vaccine confidence do not work. Conversations should empathize and try to understand the concerns of the public.
  • The risk vs benefit balance could often provide different perceptions. The dominant discourse on the Covid-19 vaccination was found to be rarely distinguishing between different vaccinations. However, there were arguments put out regarding its safety and efficacy. There are concerns that a specific vaccine might not work and thus might not be worth the risk. Hence, to instill confidence in vaccines, the focus should be on its clearest benefit, which is protection from fatalities. 

These insights are the evidence gathered from data analysis of various sources and public opinion. WE Forum used artificial intelligence and visualization to evaluate data and test hypotheses. According to the report, “The initial “vaccine” keyword search yielded 66 million conversations during the six-month period to April 2021. Sources included Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, forums, and blogs.”