Vaccine Hesitancy: Changing Priorities Towards a Lens of Compassion and Opportunity

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy and refusal is an increasingly important topic, especially as concerns appear to be on the rise after the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent vaccine rollout. While concerns about vaccines are often brushed off as ignorance or conspiracy, this is not necessarily the case. Rather, vaccine hesitancy and refusal highlight a lack of trust in the larger institutions these vaccines come to represent, such as medical, scientific, and political institutions. This is often rooted in both personal and historical reasons which need to be addressed, as they highlight larger societal issues. My research focuses on recent vaccine concerns in the Global North, with my own research being conducted in Southern Ontario, however, this is an issue that spans across space and time. Similarly to previous research on the topic, I found that underlying distrust due to negative experiences appeared to correlate with increased vaccine hesitancy and refusal. Hesitancy is also noted as an important potential area of intervention, as those who are hesitant appear to be more likely to change their minds with the help of compassionate interactions based in trust. Thus, hesitancy offers a much-needed opportunity for public health to engage with the public in a meaningful way, thereby both building trust in vaccines and the institutions they come to represent, as well as aiding in the maintenance of herd immunity in order to protect those who are vulnerable.