Meeting people where they are: Increasing vaccine confidence among unsure individuals

For the next several months, the top priority for advancing public health and keeping people safe from COVID-19 vaccine education and distribution. Crucial to that effort is maximizing the number of people choosing to get vaccinated.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, leading research — from the Kaiser Family Foundation, de Beaumont Foundation, United State of Care, and others — has shown that people across demographics want accurate information they can rely on to keep us and our families safe. We have also learned that groups of people find themselves with differing points and levels of concern about the vaccine.

People’s concerns about the vaccine are real and they deserve empathetic, straightforward answers as they consider if the vaccine is right for them. Understanding and addressing these concerns now, early in the national vaccination process, is key for overall equitable vaccine uptake and protecting the most vulnerable.

About this document: This memo was created by assembling studies and polling results, interviewing researchers, and interpreting their findings. The analysis and resulting messaging recommendations in this document can form the baseline for how we, as health and vaccine advocates, engage in the effort to address people’s concerns and help the country reach maximum vaccination levels.