A recent BECID study shows that reaching people requires less judgment and more listening. There is a need for long-term programmes that strengthen health literacy and build trust between doctors and society.
A Q-methodology study among 29 vaccine-hesitant people in Estonia identified two types of viewpoints.
The first group, vaccine skeptics who distrust mainstream medicine, were convinced of the harmfulness of vaccines. They did not trust doctors, preferred alternative medicine, and their health-related information consumption was tied to specific social media channels. They were confident in their own knowledge – or rather, “unaware of their unawareness”. They were not open to new information, yet eager to advise others.
The second group, those who trusted mainstream medicine but were hesitant, believed in doctors and the effectiveness of vaccines, but lacked objective information and felt affected by polarized public debate. Their range of health information sources was wide, but they struggled with information overload.
Both groups valued personal autonomy and considered traditional media coverage of the topic to be one-sided. They emphasized the importance of personal counseling and nuanced explanations over slogans and posters.
Read more in the article by Kristina Seimann, Andra Siibak, and Marit Napp, published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.