Vaccine hesitancy

Vaccine hesitancy is the avoidance and dislike of the use of vaccines. Some people believe that vaccines cause more harm than help. Others, especially parents of children with allergies, think that kids are getting more vaccines than they need.

Anti-Vaccination activism

Anti-vaccination activism is about the disapproval of vaccination; in more recent years, anti-vaccinationists have been known as anti-vaxxers or anti-vax. Vaccine hesitancy may be situation-specific, changing across time, place, and types of vaccines.

Causes of vaccine hesitancy

It can be caused by a lack of scientifically-based knowledge and understanding of how vaccines are made, or how vaccines work. It can also be caused by other psychological factors, including fear of vaccination needles, or the doubt of public figures and politicians. Some anti-vaxxers believe that vaccines cause autism, which is not true.

Parental influence

Vaccine hesitancy for infants is also related to the health beliefs of parents. Parents with higher education levels are more likely to have their children vaccinated. On the other hand, children from families with incorrect beliefs or inaccurate teachings, or who also believe that vaccines cause allergies, are likely to have their vaccinations delayed by their parents.

Religious influence

Religion also plays an important part in anti-vaccination activism. Religious anti-vaccinationists may say vaccines are unnatural and as a result, unhealthy. Other opponents of vaccination question the need for vaccinating against rare diseases. This is ironic, because the lack of disease is a result of successful vaccination

The contradictions of scientific evidence also has confused the public when making vaccine decisions. This is because the nature of scientific evidence encourages critical thinking and looking for facts. This can make the public struggle in believing existing vaccine science.

Vaccine Hesitancy Media

• Anti-vaccination protest near Leicester clock tower, October 2021.jpg

  An anti-vaccination activist with a false claim that children can be effectively protected from disease solely by natural immunity

• Measles US 1938-2019.png

  Rates of measles fell sharply when universal immunization was introduced.

• President Ford receives a swine flu inoculation - NARA - 7064718.jpg

  U.S. President Gerald Ford receiving his vaccine for the swine flu

• Share that agrees that vaccines are important for children to have (Wellcome Trust (2019)), OWID.svg

  Share that agrees that vaccines are important for children to have (2018)

• The cow pock.jpg

  An anti-vaccination caricature by James Gillray, The Cow-Pock – or – The Wonderful Effects of the New Inoculation! (1802)

• Edward Jenner2.jpg

  Edward Jenner (17 May 1749 – 26 January 1823)

• Gloucester smallpox epidemic, 1896; Henry Wicklin, aged 6 Wellcome V0031456.jpg

  Henry Wicklin, age 6, affected by smallpox. Smallpox was eradicated worldwide as a result of mandatory vaccinations.

• Diphtheria is Deadly Art.IWMPST14182.jpg

  In a postwar poster the Ministry of Health urged British residents to immunize children against diphtheria.

• 202003- Cumulative county COVID-19 death rates - by share of votes for Donald Trump.svg

  After the December 2020 introduction of COVID vaccines, a partisan gap in death rates developed, indicating the effects of vaccine skepticism. As of March 2024, more than 30 percent of Republicans had not received a Covid vaccine, compared with less than 10 percent of Democrats.

• Ovidiu Covaciu ESC2017.webm

  Ovidiu Covaciu on how the Romanian antivaccine movement threatens Europe (2017)