Talkin’ about our vaccinations
We need as many people as possible to get vaccinated against coronavirus as soon as possible to protect ourselves, our families and those in our community who can’t receive the vaccine.
But how do we convince those who are reluctant to get the jab?
Sorry, debaters. Experts say empathy and compassion work, not facts and evidence.
Shaming people or mocking their values will get you nowhere. Speak to them as a friend - don’t lecture them.
Most people aren’t motivated by stats and facts. People are motivated by their values, their group identity, and human connection.
Reliable sources of vaccine information:
australia.gov.au dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
abc.net.au/radio/programs/coronacast
https://www.abc.net.au/news/factcheck/
If you insist on an argument, you can end up in a game of ‘facts ping-pong’, in which two parties cite authorities that the other disregards. No one wins that game, says researcher Eva Dube.
Claire Hooker from the University of Sydney wrote about how to talk to anti-vaxxers in 2017. She said to hose down your outrage; respect people's fears; build trust; don't over-react to over-reactions; and make sure your actions don't undermine your words.
"The aim is to maintain the relationships and the dialogue, not to correct all people’s false beliefs."
Vaccination communication expert Jessica Kaufman agrees.
Here’s her guide to speaking to people who are unsure about COVID vaccines:
Don't jump to conclusions. Be prepared to listen
Ask yourself: Is it worth engaging? People who feel strongly against vaccination probably won't be open to changing their minds
Acknowledge people's concerns (without necessarily validating them)
Address misinformation when it pops up (answer questions like, how do we know the vaccines are safe?)
Act as a role model. Research shows we listen to our peers and people we trust
Keep the conversation going and encourage people to look for trusted sources of information.
Professor John Malouf told news.com.au we should fight the urge to debate those who don’t want to be vaccinated.
“The harder you push, the more resistant they will become. No one wants to be told what to do or to be proven a fool. We all are inclined to defend our views and our actions when they are under attack.
“We focus so much on forming a rebuttal that we stop listening. We refuse to be persuaded.”
Dr Kaufman says generally, people are more likely to trust people close to them. If you encounter intransigence, keep the conversation open.
Don’t assume vaccine hesitancy
Most Australians understand the need to get vaccinated - 73% want to get vaccinated as soon as they can, only 11% say they won’t get vaccinated, and the rest (14%) are unsure. The faulty vaccine roll-out has allowed disinformation to fester, particularly online.
Not every person who is unvaccinated is an anti-vaxxer. Many people have had trouble accessing vaccinations. Only very recently has the jab been available to most of the adult population, and there are still supply issues.
Arranging a vaccine appointment is still very difficult for people in insecure work, people with caring responsibilities, people in regional areas with limited vaccine access, and people whose first language is not English. The union movement is campaigning for vaccination leave to help people overcome some of these barriers.
And not everyone worried about COVID vaccines is a conspiracy theorist.
Tanya Basu, writing for the MIT Technology Review quotes a survey which found that 20% of unvaccinated Americans were most worried that coronavirus vaccines are “too new”. Only 4% of the unvaccinated said the main reason they resisted covid-19 vaccines is that they “don’t trust vaccines in general.”
For those understandably worried about how quickly anti-COVID vaccines were developed, you could point out that the size and severity of this outbreak meant vaccinations were created, tested and authorised more rapidly. Companies and countries co-operated as never before, and new mRNA technology advanced the process.
Eva Dube says there are few people with “really, really strong convictions against vaccinations”.
Most of the people who have doubts and concerns have heard some troubling stories about injuries and illnesses believed to be linked to vaccines or believe that vaccines are being pushed on the populace by ‘Big Pharma’, the more rapacious side of the pharmaceutical industry.
Erica Weintraub Austin and Porismita Borah from Washington State University have more confronting news for some: Those who insist that facts convince people of their arguments are “buying into a myth”.
“Knowledge alone rarely convinces people to change behaviour. Most decisions are informed – or misinformed – by emotions: confidence, threat, empathy and worry are four of them.
“Another myth is that people can easily separate accurate information from the inaccurate. This is not always true, either. With so much misinformation and disinformation out there, people are often overconfident about their ability to discern good from bad.”
They say that busy people often rely on shortcuts for their information and seek consistency with their own attitudes and those they trust on social media.
Paediatrician and public-health advocate Rhea Boyd told The Atlantic that rampant disinformation created by a minority has “shaped our public discourse and has led to this collective vitriol toward the unvaccinated as if they are predominantly a group of anti-vaxxers”.
It is estimated that just 12 ‘influencers’ are responsible for a majority of COVID vaccine hoaxes on social media.
Countering vaccine misinformation
Listening, positive messages and kindness work better than criticism.
And arm yourself, not just with vaccines, but with the humble Vaccine Selfie.
Sharing your vaccine selfie with friends in group chats or social media helps to normalise and humanise vaccination in a world bombarded with images of angry anti-vaccination protesters.
When people see that their real-life connections are getting vaccinated, vaccination becomes less scary, less political, and less technical.
And don’t forget to mention the positive aspirations associated with vaccination; the end of lockdowns; dinner parties; a catch up at the pub; live music; the ability to travel overseas; parties; and the safety and health of our communities.
More resources:
Information about keeping your workplace Covid Safe: covidsafeworkplace.org
Join the campaign for paid vaccination leave: megaphone.org.au/petitions/paid-vaccination- leave-for-all-workers
Join your union: join.australianunions.org.au
#VaxSolidarity