Lack of Trust, Conspiracy Beliefs, and Social Media Use Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

TLDR

Concerns that trust deficits, conspiracy beliefs, and misinformation spread through social media are driving COVID‑19 vaccine hesitancy, prompting calls for coordinated action by governments, health officials, and social media platforms. The study aims to help people understand their own risks, unpack complex concepts, and fill knowledge voids to reduce hesitancy. Researchers surveyed 1,476 UK adults and conducted five focus groups in December 2020 to assess drivers of vaccine hesitancy. Distrust in vaccines and government, low confidence in health experts, misconceptions about herd immunity, fears of rapid development and side effects, and conspiratorial beliefs—especially among users of personalized social‑media feeds—significantly increase COVID‑19 vaccine hesitancy.

Abstract

As COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out across the world, there are growing concerns about the roles that trust, belief in conspiracy theories, and spread of misinformation through social media play in impacting vaccine hesitancy. We use a nationally representative survey of 1476 adults in the UK between 12 and 18 December 2020, along with 5 focus groups conducted during the same period. Trust is a core predictor, with distrust in vaccines in general and mistrust in government raising vaccine hesitancy. Trust in health institutions and experts and perceived personal threat are vital, with focus groups revealing that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is driven by a misunderstanding of herd immunity as providing protection, fear of rapid vaccine development and side effects, and beliefs that the virus is man-made and used for population control. In particular, those who obtain information from relatively unregulated social media sources—such as YouTube—that have recommendations tailored by watch history, and who hold general conspiratorial beliefs, are less willing to be vaccinated. Since an increasing number of individuals use social media for gathering health information, interventions require action from governments, health officials, and social media companies. More attention needs to be devoted to helping people understand their own risks, unpacking complex concepts, and filling knowledge voids.