[Webinar Recap] Fighting COVID-19 Vaccine Resistance

Though COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. are accessible for everyone ages five and up, we’re starting to see demand drop off. The question many public health departments are asking is: How do we motivate more Americans to get vaccinated? In a recent webinar, Rescue President and Executive Creative Director Jeff Jordan, MA, and Senior Research Scientist Carolyn Stalgaitis, MPH, explained how to use behavior change marketing to persuade hesitant populations to get vaccinated.

READ MORE: Dive into the foundational principles of behavior change marketing.

How audiences make behavioral decisions

Because people have different motivations and barriers for getting vaccinated, we can’t expect to reach them all with the same messaging. We use audience segmentation in all of our campaigns to identify groups of people with shared characteristics, motivations, and barriers. Then, we create messaging that speaks to their specific case and persuades people to change their behavior. We’ve identified four main segments in the U.S. who are making their vaccine decisions based on specific motivations and barriers:

• The Eager: Those who are excited to get vaccinated and did it immediately.
• The Wait & See: People who have questions they want to be answered before they make up their minds.
• The Procrastinators: They don’t feel strongly either way about getting vaccinated and don’t really see a need to do so.
• The Maybe Never: Those who have taken a strong stance against this vaccine, typically due to conspiracy theories about COVID or the vaccines.

READ MORE: Download our one-page guide to the different segments.

Reaching ‘The Eager’

For the Eager, their primary barrier is ensuring there’s a vaccine and booster shot available for them. Since COVID-19 vaccines are increasingly available in the U.S., most of the folks in the Eager category have been vaccinated by now. We can use mass media and broad-appeal-style ads to provide details on how to access vaccines, as well as emotional approaches about how vaccines are the path back to normal and a way to protect loved ones.

Reaching ‘The Wait and See'

For The Wait and See, their primary barriers are doubt and uncertainty. To address that, we need to provide answers and reassurance without pressuring them to make a decision. We’re simply giving them what they need to make an informed decision on their own. Express empathy and acknowledge that it’s completely normal to have questions. For this audience, it helps to have healthcare providers or other experts providing straightforward, scientific answers to common questions.

 
Reaching ‘The Procrastinators’

Generally, procrastinators are those who don’t feel like they’re at risk for COVID-19, so they don’t have a strong motivation to get the vaccine. In the U.S., these are often healthy young people who don’t think the risk of COVID-19 is very high for themselves. Our primary goal for the Procrastinator audience is to make the risks of COVID-19 infection relevant to them. We can also emphasize that the risk is not just to them; it’s to the people around them like parents, grandparents, or younger siblings who can’t get vaccinated yet. Importantly, we need to make it as easy as possible for them to get vaccinated.

For The Procrastinators, the primary barriers are that they have low motivation and are experiencing friction. To get them vaccinated, we need to increase their sense of urgency and make it as convenient as possible to reduce friction. We’re seeing this population get vaccinated as innovative approaches make it even easier to get a shot.

Reaching ‘The Maybe Never'

To reach The Maybe Never audience, we need to understand the conspiracy theories and conspiratorial thinking that drive COVID-19 vaccine resistance and let that shape our approach. Common conspiracy theories include: Big Pharma created COVID-19 to increase profits; the CDC exaggerated the dangers of COVID-19 to hurt Trump’s presidency; COVID-19 is a bioweapon developed by China; and Bill Gates is creating a tracking microchip to be injected with the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Maybe Never audience often endorses these conspiracy beliefs. While our instinct is to focus on educating the audience, for The Maybe Never, it’s not helpful. This resistance is rooted in values and belief systems that the conspiracy theories tap into, and we have to use similar approaches to fight back. Strategies include:

• Don’t be dismissive. Provide clear and direct counter-arguments to conspiracy theories that are common and easy to disprove
• Expose the source and motives of the conspiracy theory to trigger questioning and critical thinking (e.g., Narrative Counter-Conspiracy)
• Emphasize real risks of remaining unvaccinated, ideally using messengers from this segment who changed their minds
• Avoid name-calling, shaming, or blaming; provide a face-saving way for people to change their minds

If you’d like to learn more about bringing a vaccine hesitancy campaign to your community, please Contact Us.