Vaccine confidence¶
Public trust in (1) vaccine safety and efficacy, (2) the research and regulatory processes certifying vaccines, and (3) health authorities and healthcare providers recommending vaccines. Vaccine confidence predicts vaccination uptake and is eroded by misinformation, past institutional failures, and political polarization around health.
The WHO identified vaccine hesitancy—driven in part by loss of confidence—as a top 10 global health threat in 2019. COVID-19 pandemic dramatically shifted vaccine confidence landscapes, particularly in high-income countries where politicization of pandemic response drove partisan divides in vaccine acceptance.
Key papers¶
- Measuring the impact of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation on vaccination intent in the UK and USA — Shows trust in experts predicts resistance to vaccine misinformation
- Social media and vaccine hesitancy — Systematic evidence that social media undermines vaccine confidence through community-amplified misinformation
Related topics¶
- Trust in institutions and communicators (general; vaccine confidence a domain-specific manifestation)
- Vaccine misinformation (erodes confidence)
- Vaccine hesitancy and vaccine safety concerns (behavioral outcome of low confidence)