The race between virus and vaccine is on. As more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine become available in the US, communities across the country have begun encountering vaccine hesitancy – sectors of the population that have access to doses but that express doubts, skepticism, or concerns. The ability to understand where that hesitancy comes from, and how to address it, could mean the difference between achieving herd immunity early or enduring many more months of the pandemic.
To better understand hesitancy, the City partnered with technology start-up Zencity and the Harvard Kennedy School in a pilot project that used a technique called sentiment analysis. We wanted to understand what the resident’s intentions, feelings, and experiences were around getting vaccinated. What were the main themes? What is the general level of interest? And what could be the City’s role?
Zencity collected data from social media (such as Facebook and Twitter) and local media (such as comment sections in newspaper sites) offered by citizens of Syracuse. A total of 38,596 interactions were analyzed. In addition, the team also conducted an online survey (being careful to ensure that the different demographic groups of the City were included) that reached 505 residents. Although all of this information was willingly shared, privacy was a priority in this study, and no personal data was collected - only aggregated results were shared with the City.
Syracuse residents are less skeptical than other cities but more indecisive
In the cohort of cities that took part in this study, residents that stated they would never take the vaccine (24%) were lower than the average (28%). However, the percentage of those that were unsure that they would take the vaccine was significantly higher than average (38% to 29%).
What drives the skepticism and indecisiveness? The main reasons included concerns about how effective the vaccine is, worries about possible side effects, and the belief that the risk posed by the novel coronavirus is low. There were also important differences across races – 69% of Hispanic respondents and 51% of Black respondents reported distrust in the healthcare system (compared to 29% of the White population). Hispanic and Black respondents were also more concerned about technical and procedural issues – such as how to go through the registration process and whether they would have to pay for the shot. Luckily, the numbers also showed that the vast majority of people who got the vaccine found it to be an easy or very easy experience.
Convenience, family as key motivators
On the other hand, what turned out to be the most persuasive factors for people in Syracuse were the convenience of accessing the vaccine, being told by medical professionals, and seeing friends and family members getting vaccinated without side effects. Getting the recommendation of a doctor was particularly important for Black and Hispanic respondents (69% and 75%, respectively), and so was the advice of religious and community leaders.
The City has been a part of the statewide Vaccine Equity Task Force since its inception, and the full results of this study were shared with that group. As the largest vaccination drive in history goes on, we continue our work in the messaging and outreach to the community.