- Research for ONS on vaccine hesitancy / refusal
Posted by Ian M
on July 20, 2021, 10:56 pm
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Important study investigating in depth peoples' reasons for not wanting to take the covid vaccine. The researchers actually sat down and talked with people (albeit over zoom or the phone) for 70 minutes and listened to their reasoning, holding back from passing judgement on what they said. Somehow the responses don't sound at all crazy or unrelatable, and when they go into more questionable narratives it's easy to understand the lack of trust in institutions that would allow them to make those leaps. Or it was for me, anyway, probably because I'm already on the same page as many of them. See what y'all think: ***** https://www.iffresearch.com/ons-coronavirus-vaccine-refusal-study/detailed-findings/ COVID-19 vaccines refusal study, UK: February – March 2021 Exploring the attitudes of groups who are uncertain about receiving, or unable or unwilling to receive COVID-19 vaccines across the UK. 1. Main points Many participants who were unwilling or uncertain about receiving COVID-19 vaccines expressed concerns about their safety, including concerns about immediate side effects and longer-term impacts that participants felt could not yet be known. Fears about the COVID-19 vaccines’ safety were often linked with how quickly they had been developed, which participants perceived as a sign that the COVID-19 vaccines could not be as safe as other vaccines that had been developed and used over several years. Some participants did not perceive catching coronavirus as a significant risk; typically, because they were younger and felt they were unlikely to either catch or develop serious symptoms from catching coronavirus, or because they felt they were already taking adequate steps to avoid catching coronavirus. Those who were unable to receive COVID-19 vaccines cited barriers including not being able to find childcare to attend the vaccination appointment, not being able to travel to the vaccination centre, or having existing physical or mental health conditions that prevented them from receiving COVID-19 vaccines. There was an appetite for more information about COVID-19 vaccines, particularly their side effects, contents, how they had been developed, and the differences between and safety of the various COVID-19 vaccines. Some participants accessed information about COVID-19 vaccines from social media or unverified sources as well as, or instead of, mainstream media, which gave them cause for concern, for example about the COVID-19 vaccines’ contents or side effects. The main themes for concern about or unwillingness to receive COVID-19 vaccines Many participants cited more than one reason for not wanting the COVID-19 vaccines. However, they commonly gave one of two primary recurring reasons which seemed to inform many participants’ uncertainty or unwillingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. The most common primary concern was that participants did not trust that COVID-19 vaccines were safe. Participants often talked about the speed with which the COVID-19 vaccines had been developed, and the belief that not enough people had received COVID-19 vaccines over a long enough time period to know that there were no long-term side effects. The second primary reason was that participants did not feel the COVID-19 vaccines were necessary. Participants who held this belief often felt that they could protect themselves against COVID-19 by maintaining their own health and a strong immune system, or by taking steps to avoid catching coronavirus in the first place. 2. Reasons for refusing, and concerns about receiving, COVID-19 vaccines Key concerns about COVID-19 vaccines among participants who were concerned or unwilling to accept COVID-19 vaccines Concerns COVID-19 vaccines’ development was rushed A commonly held view among participants who were unwilling or uncertain about receiving COVID-19 vaccines was that the COVID-19 vaccines had been developed too quickly. This undermined participants’ trust in its safety. A couple of participants believed that it usually takes 10 years to prove a vaccine is safe, and another said that it normally takes three years for a vaccine to be approved. None of these participants cited their sources. “I feel like vaccines are something which take years to develop. I don’t believe it could be effective in such a short amount of time. I feel like it’s been a rushed vaccine which is why I don’t trust it.” Female, age 35 to 39 years, England “I feel like it’s too early. I don’t feel enough time or research has passed. I don’t know what the effects from the vaccine will be after five, 10 or 15 years from now.” Male, age 35 to 39 years, England Fear of side effects Many participants were concerned about potential side effects either in the short or long-term. This was often connected to the idea that the COVID-19 vaccines had been developed too quickly, as they felt it was too early for side effects to be seen, given that the vaccines had only recently been developed and administered. “There’s not been enough research on it and the thing that worries me is what could happen in a couple of months’ time with people that have already had it.” Female, age 30 to 34 years, England “Because it’s such a new virus and the world doesn’t know enough about the virus itself…if you don’t know enough about the virus itself how do you know enough about the vaccine and the long-term effects of it?” Female, age 25 to 29 years, England One Asian participant was concerned that there had not been enough testing in general, and specifically in ethnic minority communities. Another participant referenced Thalidomide and wanted to avoid any risk of similar outcomes from COVID-19 vaccines. For others, fear of side effects came from things that they had read or seen from sources such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. A prominent concern was whether COVID-19 vaccines affected fertility (both female and male), as well as the fertility of their children. For a few participants the fear that COVID-19 vaccines would harm their fertility was the main reason for their uncertainty or refusal. “I would like to know how it affects fertility, as I’d like maybe one or two more children.” Female, age 18 to 24 years, Northern Ireland Other specific concerns included that COVID-19 vaccines may cause mobility issues or that they may contain a genetically modified organism that can disrupt genes or DNA. “I believe they haven’t tested it yet with women who have had the vaccine and then got pregnant. Who knows how it is going to turn out? We don’t know how a baby would turn out yet…This might sound stupid but movies and things like that. I like sci-fi and things like that so we are putting this into our bodies and who says this will not cause some type of mutation, because you are putting this gene in which shouldn’t be in your body, or this chemical.” Male, age 40 to 44 years, Wales Some participants were also deterred from having COVID-19 vaccines because they had heard that others had experienced immediate side effects. This included stories that participants had read about online, including reports from other countries, as well as people they knew personally or had heard about through word of mouth. “I know a few people who had it and they felt really ill afterwards and have not been able to get out of bed … this vaccine is so new.” Female, age 18 to 24 years, England One participant had heard about someone in their local community who she believed had died shortly after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, while a GP receptionist heard about patients becoming unwell after receiving COVID-19 vaccines. For a few participants, any risk of illness was not worth taking due to an underlying health condition. One participant had kidney issues and worried that any trace of coronavirus in COVID-19 vaccines and any side effects could worsen her condition. Wanting more information or to do own research Another common reason for refusing or intending to refuse COVID-19 vaccines was that not enough was known about them. Participants felt that they were missing information about how the COVID-19 vaccines worked, their safety, benefits and side-effects. This was felt both on a personal level (not knowing enough about it personally) and on a wider scientific level (a belief that scientists do not yet have enough evidence). Another participant felt the media and government had not actively provided the public with information on how COVID-19 vaccines were developed including how these had been tested, and any side effects. He felt that the only information that was being provided about the COVID-19 vaccines by the media and government was the numbers of people being vaccinated. “I have not seen any information how it was developed, how it was developed so quickly, how it was tested, and what the side-effects were or if there were any…It’s pretty vague… There’s not enough information to sway me to have the vaccine.” Male, age 35 to 39 years, Wales Some participants said that, while they did not want to receive COVID-19 vaccines now, they may be open to doing so in the future, once they had done some more personal research into it. “At the moment I don’t want it. I can’t say that I will never have it but if I was offered it today it would be a no.” Female, age 25 to 29 years, England “Right now I’m not aware of what’s in it. I’d need to do more research.” Male, age 18 to 24 years, England Others said they would revisit their opinion on receiving COVID-19 vaccines once there was more information available about side effects. “I am not saying that I will never ever have the coronavirus vaccine. It’s definitely a ‘now’ decision and it’s something I will re-evaluate on a regular basis.” Female, age 40 to 44 years, England A few participants felt that there was not enough open dialogue around the COVID-19 vaccines, and this had also affected their willingness to accept it. “If you suggest you don’t want to take it, people assume ‘oh you’re an antivaxxer.’ There’s no discussion. This is quite a serious issue, it should be debated, it should be talked about. But it’s not. It’s very polarised.” Male, age 65 to 69 years, Wales “I find it’s very difficult to find anything that is non-biased. You have to read the two sides (anti- and pro-vaccination) and try to pull the facts out because people will bend facts towards what they are trying to represent. As much as it would be nice to have a document that said x amount of people had the vaccine, x amount of people had issues, x amount of people have had these side effects (severe or mild), I don’t think we will ever get that because it’s not in the government’s interest. I think there would be too much hysteria following on from it.” Female, age 40 to 54 years, England (continues at link...) ***** cheers, I |
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