An Effective COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Intervention Focused on the Relative Risks of Vaccination and Infection

Abstract

Abstract We designed the Relative Risk Tool (RRT) to give people access to the same quantitative peer-reviewed information about the risks and benefits of vaccination that professionals use to make determinations about approving vaccines. Based on our initial qualitative research and the known associations between concern about vaccination risk and vaccine hesitancy, we hypothesized that the RRT would change some people’s assessment of relative risk of vaccination and infection and reduce vaccine hesitancy. We surveyed U.S. residents in May 2022 (N = 400) and November 2022 (N = 615). We found 38.5% (May) and 34.1% (November) thought vaccination was at least as risky for them as infection, and risk perception was associated with future vaccination intent. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to understand how vaccination intent changed after being randomly assigned to view information about the relative risks of vaccination and infection from the RRT or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Both the RRT and CDC information increased intention to accept vaccines, but the RRT information had larger effect size. The RRT is novel because it provides accurate information about the risks of serious adverse outcomes to vaccination and still increases vaccination intent.