Lin Cheryl, Parker Taylor, Pejavara Kartik, Smith Danielle, Tu Rungting, Tu Pikuei
Policy and Organizational Management Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA.
Department of Business Administration, Tunghai University, Taichung 407224, Taiwan.
Vaccines (Basel). 2022 Aug 26;10(9):1402. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10091402.
Previous researchers have established the influence of social norms on vaccine behavior. However, little work has been performed contextualizing individuals' experience with these social factors and how they operate to persuade individuals' acceptance or refusal of a vaccine. We aimed to determine the mechanisms of familial and societal pressure or expectations that contribute to COVID-19 vaccine decision-making. We conducted four focus groups and eleven individual interviews (total n = 32) with participants from across the U.S. of different vaccination statuses. We identified three emergent themes: (1) Altruistic reasoning was particularly prevalent among initially hesitant late adopters-the desire to protect loved ones and others constituted a dominant motive, more powerful than protecting oneself. Vaccination was also reckoned as part of a joint effort to return to normal life; hence, it invoked a sense of responsibility or "obligation"; (2) expectation often became pressure; although most vaccinated participants stated that they respected others' choices, late adopters or unvaccinated participants perceived differently and felt rushed or "forced" into choosing, and many resented being "targeted" or "bullied"; (3) vaccination status became a new label, frequently dividing families, thus producing familial mandates, exclusions, or social stratifications. This caused sadness and feelings of isolation, along with the formation of a camaraderie among the excluded unvaccinated. A vaccine decision builds from the complexities of individuals' experiences and cultures. The vaccinated were not free of hesitancy nor were the unvaccinated all anti-vaxxers. Vigorous vaccine promotion successfully converted some undecided individuals but also fostered distrust of government; alarmingly, the push to receive the COVID-19 vaccine further triggered doubts about established vaccines. Communication strategies need to be developed and implemented carefully so as not to ostracize the unvaccinated community and strengthen their resistance.
以往的研究已经证实了社会规范对疫苗接种行为的影响。然而，将个人在这些社会因素方面的经历及其如何影响个人接受或拒绝接种疫苗的过程进行情境化分析的工作却很少。我们旨在确定家庭和社会压力或期望对新冠疫苗决策产生影响的机制。我们对来自美国不同疫苗接种状况的参与者进行了四个焦点小组讨论和十一次个人访谈（共32人）。我们确定了三个新出现的主题：（1）利他性推理在最初犹豫不决的后期接种者中尤为普遍——保护亲人和他人的愿望构成了主要动机，比保护自己更有力量。接种疫苗也被视为恢复正常生活共同努力的一部分；因此，它引发了一种责任感或“义务感”；（2）期望往往会变成压力；尽管大多数接种疫苗的参与者表示他们尊重他人的选择，但后期接种者或未接种疫苗的参与者却有不同的看法，他们感到仓促或“被迫”做出选择，许多人对被“针对”或“欺负”感到不满；（3）疫苗接种状况成为了一个新标签，常常使家庭产生分歧，从而导致家庭指令、排斥或社会分层。这引发了悲伤和孤独感，同时也在被排斥的未接种疫苗者中形成了一种同志情谊。疫苗决策源于个人经历和文化的复杂性。接种疫苗的人并非没有犹豫，未接种疫苗的人也不全是反疫苗者。大力推广疫苗成功地使一些犹豫不决的人改变了想法，但也加剧了对政府的不信任；令人担忧的是，推动接种新冠疫苗进一步引发了对现有疫苗的怀疑。需要谨慎制定和实施沟通策略，以免排斥未接种疫苗的群体并增强他们的抵触情绪。
