JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The Covid-19 vaccine remains central to the UK government’s plan for tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. Average uptake of 3 doses in the UK stands at 66.7% as of March 2022, however this rate varies across localities. Understanding the views of groups who have low vaccine uptake is crucial to guide efforts to improve vaccine uptake.

Objective:

A qualitative social media analysis of social media posts from Nottinghamshire based profiles and data sources to understand vaccine hesitancy in Nottingham and make intervention recommendations to increase vaccination uptake.

Methods:

A manual search strategy was used to search the Nottingham Post website, and local Facebook and Twitter accounts from September to October 2021. Only comments in the public domain and in English were included in the analysis. A total of 3508 comments from 1238 users on Covid-19 vaccine posts by 10 different local organisations were analysed.

Results:

6 over-arching themes were identified: lack of trust in vaccine information, information sources including the media, and the government; belief that the vaccine is not safe due to the speed of development and approval process, the severity of side effects and belief that the ingredients are harmful; belief that the vaccine is not effective as people can still become infected and spread the virus, and that the vaccine may increase transmission through shedding; belief that the vaccine is not necessary due to low perceived risk of death and severe outcomes, and use of other protective measures such as natural immunity, ventilation, testing, face coverings and self-isolation; individual rights and freedoms to be able to choose to have the vaccine or not without judgement or discrimination; and barriers to physical access.

Conclusions:

The findings reveal a wide range of beliefs and attitudes towards the Covid-19 vaccination. Implications for the vaccine programme in Nottingham include communication strategies delivered by trusted sources to address the gaps in knowledge identified, whilst acknowledging some negatives such as side effects alongside emphasising the benefits. These strategies should avoid perpetuating myths and avoid using scare tactics when addressing risk perceptions. Accessibility should also be considered with a review of current vaccination site locations, opening hours and transport links. Additional research may benefit from using qualitative interviews or focus groups to further probe on the themes identified and explore the acceptability of the recommended interventions.