Vaccine Hesitancy Around the World

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy – delaying or refusing to receive recommended vaccination because of reservations or doubts about vaccines, their safety and effectiveness – is a major global public health problem. Expressing doubt about vaccines and anti-vaccination movements are not new social phenomena, since these have existed since the introduction of the first vaccines in the nineteenth century. Vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccination attitudes are related to various social determinants. By reviewing the key sociodemographic, socioeconomic and political determinants, along with the role of trust in the healthcare system, medical professionals and the role of the Internet, in the present chapter we argue that vaccine hesitancy and vaccine rejection need to be understood as phenomena within specific social and cultural contexts. Vaccine hesitancy varies across countries, while at the same time, there is a between-cultural variance in determinants of vaccine hesitancy. In recent decades, the Internet and social media have played an increasingly important role, allowing information to be shared around the world. There is often no oversight on the accuracy of online information, which increases the spread of misinformation about vaccine safety and effectiveness. In the final part of the chapter, we argue that pro-vaccine campaigns should focus on addressing echo-chambers on social media sites and tailor vaccination campaigns taking into account culture-specific social determinants of vaccine hesitancy. In addition, doctor-patient communication and immunization campaigns need to focus on the patients’ and public’s concerns and fears about vaccines.