How do you convince the growing group of people who are skeptical about vaccination? As vaccine redemption approaches, that question is only getting more pertinent.
Will corona vaccines deliver us from all this misery? Are they really the key to regained freedom? The answer to that question depends not only on the effectiveness of the vaccines, but also on the willingness of the population to be vaccinated. Because only if a large majority of the population will soon be vaccinated can group immunity be achieved.
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Will corona vaccines deliver us from all this misery? Are they really the key to regained freedom? The answer to that question depends not only on the effectiveness of the vaccines, but also on the willingness of the population to be vaccinated. Because only if a large majority of the population will soon be vaccinated can group immunity be achieved. ‘There is now often talk of a necessary vaccination coverage of 70 percent,’ says vaccineologist Corinne Vandermeulen (KU Leuven), ‘but that seems to me to be the absolute minimum. With the traditional vaccination programs, we aim for a vaccination coverage of 90 percent. If you ask me how high the percentage for corona should be, I will say: as high as possible. ‘ The shoe could wring there. The medical journal The Lancet published the results of a French survey conducted at the height of the first wave in late May. It showed that more than a quarter of the French would refuse a vaccine. Even more alarming than that number, the researchers cited the profile of those refusers. This mainly concerns people with a low income – precisely the group most affected by the pandemic. It is also striking that the survey suggests a connection with political preference. Refusers can be found mainly among people who voted for the extreme left or the extreme right in the last election or – the largest group – did not participate in the elections. It is doubtful whether the profile of skeptics in Belgium is fundamentally different. In a recent survey by Sciensano, 17 percent of respondents said they would not get vaccinated. Another 33 percent stated that they had not decided yet. According to Sciensano virologist Steven Van Gucht, these skeptics and / or doubters are ‘often people with little confidence in the government or scientific institutions’. Which brings us to what is perhaps the greatest difficulty in this matter. To get enough people to vaccinate, the government and scientific institutions must first of all convince the doubters and skeptics. Exactly the group that most distrusts the government and scientific institutions. ‘Today we see a growing distrust of politics and science,’ admits Professor Vandermeulen. “Regaining trust is anything but easy. You certainly do not help the matter forward by not taking the mistrust seriously. If you dismiss the doubts and fears of the skeptics as quatsch, it will be counterproductive and the skepticism will increase. ‘ According to the professor, not all concerns are completely unfounded. “The vaccines will no doubt have side effects,” she says. ‘Communication about this must be honest. Explain clearly and honestly to people what exactly they can expect. That way you avoid fussing about and growing suspicion at a later stage. ‘ A similar message can be heard from Joyce Braem, health expert at the Christelijke Mutualiteit. ‘We notice that a lot of skepticism and doubt today arises from the speed with which the vaccine can apparently be produced. People wonder how you can develop a safe vaccine in such a short period of time, when otherwise it would take years. That’s not a stupid question. And so, in this specific case, you have to explain clearly that this speed has mainly to do with the choice of the various research institutions to leave the other research for what it is, and to make this vaccine the absolute priority. ‘ Clear and honest communication, according to experts, it is the first and perhaps most important requirement for a persuasion strategy. But that strategy naturally assumes that the message reaches the recipient. ‘There is a group of people who do not convince you with graphs, figures and tables,’ says Professor Vandermeulen, ‘but who you may be able to reach with storytelling. Research into communication about breast cancer prevention has also shown this. For some people, something like this only works if you put the message in a story. You could compare it to the fairy tales that people used to tell each other. In essence, these are also stories that are passed on with the intention of warning of danger. ‘ To keep the vaccination program on the right track, the federal government recently set up a task force. Within this task force, a cell will also operate that is responsible for public communication. Not an unnecessary luxury, says Professor Vandermeulen. ‘We will have to pull out all the stops, with campaigns that differ per target group. Because in our current, fragmented society, one uniform campaign is not enough. You have to adapt the content, the form and the medium of your communication to the different ages and educational levels. ‘ In anticipation of a campaign for the corona vaccine, the Christelijke Mutualiteit already launched a general vaccination campaign last week. ‘We use the most diverse media for this,’ says Braem. ‘There is an informative site and there are also radio spots and advertisements on social media such as Facebook and Instagram. But even with that you won’t reach everyone. If you want to reach the most vulnerable groups, it often makes more sense to work one-on-one and communicate through healthcare providers such as doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives and through employees in the social sector. To assist those employees, we will be offering webinars next year that will provide information about the composition, safety and importance of vaccines, and how to talk to someone who is reluctant to vaccinate. ‘ In any case, the GP will play a vital role in the vaccination campaigns. ‘If people still have a lot of confidence in something,’ says Professor Vandermeulen, ‘it is in the advice of their GP. He or she will soon play a crucial role in convincing doubters. I also assume that the GPs, as well as the health care personnel, will receive the vaccine soon. That means that they can speak from experience and hopefully be able to convince as many skeptics as possible from that experience. ‘ What to do if that doesn’t work either? Should the government then consider making the corona vaccine, just like the polio vaccine, mandatory? “We think it is a good idea not to make this mandatory, especially in the first instance,” Braem responds. ‘Obligation can be counterproductive and add to mistrust. First, let’s try to convince as many people as possible to voluntarily get vaccinated. We will do this by informing them as much as possible about the effect and safety of the vaccine. If that doesn’t work, you could, in the very last instance and for the sake of public interest, consider making an obligation. ‘
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