Overcoming vaccine hesitancy : Shared by John Gilmartin

Here’s a Nature summary piece on recent vaccine hesitancy in the UK, and the influence of the US in these decisions. After the efforts we put into marketing for polio eradication this piece strikes me as still naive about the issues driving behavior and the possible strategies used to change behavior. 

Thanks, John

How to improve vaccine uptake: a huge study offers clues

Nature

January 13, 2026

Click here for the article

Summary

A study analyzing over 1.1 million people in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic found that two-thirds of those initially hesitant about vaccination eventually received at least one dose. The study found that people whose concerns centered on vaccine efficacy and health worries were most likely to eventually get vaccinated, while those with deeper distrust of medicine were harder to reach.

Overall vaccine hesitancy rates were 3.3%, peaking at 8% in early 2021 before dropping to 1.1% at the start of 2022. 

Main Conclusion: The study suggests that public health agencies should focus vaccination promotion efforts on people whose hesitancy stems from concrete, addressable concerns rather than deeper ideological opposition. Specifically:

1. Target the persuadable: People worried about vaccine efficacy and side effects are most likely to eventually get vaccinated, so they should be priority targets for information campaigns.
2. Provide transparent, robust information: Chadeau-Hyam emphasized that "transparent and reproducible information is a key driver in the acceptance of new vaccines" - suggesting that clear, scientifically sound public communication can overcome hesitancy.
3. Tailor approaches by demographic: Since hesitancy was higher among economically deprived populations, the unemployed, and those with lower education, targeted outreach to these groups could improve uptake.

Limitations noted: However, the article includes skepticism from Noni MacDonald, who notes that the study's context - a pandemic with high fear and social pressure - may limit its applicability to routine vaccination campaigns today, where misinformation and disinformation have become more significant drivers of hesitancy than lack of information about new vaccines.

Researchers identified eight broad clusters of hesitancy reasons, including concerns about vaccine efficacy and side effects, travel difficulties to vaccination sites, lack of trust in vaccine makers, and personal health concerns. Hesitancy was more common among people in economically deprived areas, the unemployed, those with lower education levels, and women, though women were less likely to remain unvaccinated after expressing hesitancy. 

Quotes

"What we've identified here could help improve adherence to vaccination quicker if we target the right people."

"Some of the stickier reasons, such as those related to a lack of trust in medicine, are more difficult to overcome."

"Our study was related to COVID-19, but it can be applicable elsewhere. As long as robust information that was interpretable and reproducible got to the public, this helped with adherence. Transparent and reproducible information is a key driver in the acceptance of new vaccines."

"It's a beautifully done study on an incredible data set, but it is also a very specific context that is not so relevant now."

"If we had anything close to 3.3% now that would be fantastic."