RTÉ Brainstorm – Why are young women hesitant about getting the Covid vaccine?
Whitaker Institute member Dr Jane Walsh, of the Health and Well-Being cluster, has co-authored a new piece for RTÉ Brainstorm. The article explores why young women are hesitant to receive the Covid vaccine.
Why are young women hesitant about getting the Covid vaccine?
“A striking finding of this research was, that young women in particular, were less likely to say ‘yes’ to the vaccine and more likely to say they were ‘unsure’ about getting it.”
Analysis: research into vaccine hesitancy found that peer social influences and messaging play a key role in decision making
By Jane Walsh, NUI Galway and Susanna Kola-Palmer, University of Huddersfield
Although Covid-19 vaccines are a powerful tool in the control of the devastating pandemic, the public’s confidence in and willingness to receive the vaccines will determine the outcome of this mass-scale public health programme. While vaccinations are moving at pace in both Ireland and the UK, recent indicators from government public opinion surveys suggest that there is still a significant amount of vaccine hesitancy in the general public.
According to the WHO, vaccine hesitancy refers to a delay in acceptance or refusal of a vaccine despite its availability. Vaccine hesitancy is complex and context-specific, and it varies across time, place and vaccines. Behavioural science has greatly contributed to understanding and addressing the psychological factors that influence our vaccination behaviour. Since the onset of the pandemic behavioural scientists have played a key role in addressing the enormous shifts in behaviour required by the public to combat the devastating effect of this virus, summarised in this insightful piece by Prof Molly Byrne. Continue reading…