Countering vaccine hesitancy through medical expert endorsement

Medical Expert Endorsement Fails to Reduce Vaccine Hesitancy in U.K. Residents

“…Our pre-registered analyses yielded null results, thus not supporting the original predictions. These results come in contrast with findings from an Italian sample who underwent a similar intervention [1]. One design deviation from the current study was that the control group also received the intervention messages, but these were endorsed by a generic "majority of respondents" (thus not specifying the qualifications of the experts).…”

“…To test the effectiveness of the intervention, we also monitored beliefs, intentions and vaccination behaviour of a control group. Contrary to experimental results on a similar design in an Italian sample, [1] vaccination turnout did not increase in the experimental sample compared to control, nor did participants express a higher intention to vaccinate, or more positive beliefs about the protectiveness of vaccines. 1…”

“…One final explanation is that the intervention that we designed might simply not be effective in certain populations [11]. As we note in [1], The cultural characteristics of Italy make it peculiar in more than one way, and thus we may observe a certain degree of heterogeneity between populations more or less similar to this specific country. Further replications of the current design in different regions of the world will be needed to verify this explanation.…”

A survey of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance across 23 countries in 2022

“…Our findings may offer insight to policymakers and public health officials regarding message content and targeting. Strategies to improve vaccine literacy could include messages that emphasize compassion over fear 53 , message framing based on audience demographics and psychographics 54 as well as the use of trusted messengers 55 , particularly healthcare providers 56,57 , and various types of incentives 58 . Frequency, content and channels of dissemination are key factors in message transmission and receipt.…”

Promoting COVID-19 vaccine confidence through public responses to misinformation: The joint influence of message source and message content

“…Because vaccination was the cornerstone of many countries’ COVID-19 pandemic mitigation strategy, efforts to limit the negative impact of misinformation on public confidence in vaccines became a key component of pandemic response ( Cornwall, 2020 ). Government officials, politicians, scientists, and health professionals frequently contributed to this effort—both officially and unofficially—by directly responding to anti-vaccine misinformation ( Ronzani et al, 2022 ; WHO, 2021 ). In addition to their efforts to develop and communicate official public health recommendations, healthcare professionals and political leaders frequently used op-eds, media interviews, blog posts, and statements on social media to publicly respond to COVID-19 myths and inaccuracies (e.g., Campbell, 2021 ; Clarke, 2021 ; Dickinson, 2022 ; Ronzani et al, 2022 ).…”