The World Economic Forum and the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have partnered with NetBase Quid, an analytics platform, to investigate public sentiment on vaccines.

The authors have identified five key insights to guide engagement and communication – from business owners talking to employees, to families talking among themselves – and to help in considering the language and approaches to use when talking about vaccines or interacting with people who are not convinced that vaccines are safe or important, with the ultimate objective of helping more people get vaccinated against COVID-19 and other vaccine preventable diseases.

1. People talk about 'protection' as the most compelling reason to vaccinate.
2. High-profile messages calling vaccination a 'moral obligation' provoke strong negative responses.
3. Messages that are simple, focused on gratitude and coming from health professionals, social influencers and 'people like me' elicit more positive responses than messages from celebrities/politicians.
4. Lack of trust in the system and concerns about side-effects and safety of vaccines are the two most common drivers of vaccine reluctance and low confidence.
5. There is little differentiation in the public discourse between different types of vaccines, except in relation to safety and, for some, efficacy.