Not every person who is hesitant to take a covid-19 vaccine is ignorant, lazy, uncaring, or overly rebellious. The truth is that there is more than one reason why a person may be vaccine hesitant. Research Psychologists have been studying vaccine hesitancy for years. Here is some insight into what they have found. 

The 5Cs*.

The 5Cs model considers the following psychological factors to explain the majority of the variation in people’s decisions:

1. Confidence: the extent of the person’s trust in the vaccines efficacy and safety, the health services offering them, and the policy makers deciding on their rollout
2. Complacency: whether or not the person considers the disease itself to be a serious risk to their health
3. Calculation: the individual’s engagement in extensive information searching to weigh up the costs and benefits
4. Constraints (or convenience): how easy it is for the person in question to access the vaccine
5. Collective responsibility: the willingness to protect others from infection, through one’s own vaccination

The extent to which people feel strongly about any/all of these factors impacts their willingness to vaccinate. 

There are some other factors to consider:

Confirmation bias: People have a tendency to decide what their position on an issue is, then unconsciously seek out information to support their position, filtering out contrary evidence. For example, if a person believes the covid vaccine will harm them, they will find information on social media to support that belief. If a person distrusts what politicians say, they will find stories to support that general position. What confirmation bias does is prevents people from properly appraising objective truth – facts supported with evidence. It creates ‘blind spots’. We are all subject to confirmation bias, but our individual beliefs cannot affect objective facts.

Fear of Needles: Some people are simply afraid of being injected. This may be the case in a surprising number of people.

So what can be done?

If you are hesitant to vaccinate but honest about seeking answers, be open to the possibilities suggested above. Think of which of the 5Cs impacts you the most. Question your position. Forget social media and ‘village stories’ and take some time to read what recognised professionals in the field are saying. When you come across someone claiming to be an expert or professional, search on their name to learn about their reputation from multiple sources. Look at the infection and death rates in countries across the globe. Look at the hospitalisation and death rates among vaccinated people across the globe. This information is freely available and easy to find. The picture is increasingly clear with each passing day.

If you accept vaccination, remember to respect people who do not. Be willing to listen and speak to them about it, if they are open to it. You cannot go wrong by showing compassion and concern for another human being. You should not however, accept anything less from anyone else. Avoid arguments and unnecessary discussions that just serve to cement people’s positions rather than illuminate the way. We have a world to save.

*https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210720-the-complexities-of-vaccine-hesitancy