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When it comes to vaccines - why are people talking about 'It is just a theory' ?

Scientific studies on vaccines are based on controversial theories

One of the strongest predictors of vaccine hesitancy is people’s general mistrust of authorities and those perceived as working for them.

The distrust is often expressed in claims about vested interests, or it reveals itself as a lack of knowledge about vaccinations.

It can be directed towards different targets, for example:

  • Health and medical professionals and organisations.
  • Pharmaceutical companies.
  • Governments.
  • Scientists.
  • The ‘medical establishment’.

It can also be directed towards the scientific process and to vaccines themselves.

Although distrust is related to conspiracist beliefs, arguments framed within this attitude root are distinct in that the reasons for distrust may be due to a person’s lived experience (e.g., having experienced discrimination in the healthcare system). Arguments stemming from distrust also need not relate to conspiracies. Instead, distrust often manifests as vague statements, full of suspicion and uncertainty, with conclusions drawn based on the source of the message.

This theme is focused on distrust of the scientific process behind vaccine development, including claims that science was manipulated and biased. Arguments often cherry pick facts to support suspicions.

Is there any truth in it?

It is understandable why many do not automatically trust the scientific studies behind the vaccines. The scientific process is often communicated using jargon that is difficult for non-experts to follow, making it hard to understand how the evidence has accumulated over time to overwhelmingly support the initial theory. People who argue online and in the media that the science behind vaccines is controversial can also be very convincing. Amidst all of this confusion, it can be difficult to assess the facts. Fortunately, we can assess the multiple sources of evidence that lead to the creation of established knowledge.

What could I say to someone fixed on this belief?

Dialogue between patients and healthcare professionals is most productive if it is guided by empathy, and an opportunity for the patient to affirm the reasons underlying their attitudes and to express understanding for that. That’s why it is important to understand the attitude roots behind people’s overt opinions. To affirm a person’s underlying attitude root does not mean we need to agree with the specifics of their argument. For example, we can acknowledge that:

It is understandable why many do not automatically trust the scientific studies behind the vaccines. The scientific process is often communicated using jargon that is difficult for non-experts to follow, making it hard to understand how the evidence has accumulated over time to overwhelmingly support the initial theory. People who argue online and in the media that the science behind vaccines is controversial can also be very convincing. Amidst all of this confusion, it can be difficult to assess the facts. Fortunately, we can assess the multiple sources of evidence that lead to the creation of established knowledge.



Having set the stage through this (partial) affirmation, we can then proceed to correct the patient’s particular misconception.

Scientific research on vaccines is built on a large and longstanding evidence base. It was the accumulation of evidence that established immunological science as a field of knowledge. There is a strong and widespread medical consensus on the benefits and safety of vaccines and how they work. This is due to over one hundred years’ worth of evidence from the millions of people worldwide who are vaccinated each year.

Where can I find out more?

Additional information: 

Academic references:

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MISINFORMATION & DISTRUST

One of the strongest predictors of vaccine hesitancy is people’s general mistrust of authorities, pharmaceutical companies, scientists, the medical “establishment”, and scientific research methods and findings. The distrust is often expressed in claims about vested interests or a lack of knowledge about vaccinations. It can be directed towards different targets, for example, health and medical authorities or professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the government, and the scientific process and vaccines themselves.

 

Although distrust is related to conspiracist ideation, arguments framed within this attitude root are distinct in that the reasons for distrust may be due to a person’s lived experience (e.g., having experienced discrimination in the healthcare system). Arguments stemming from distrust also need not relate to conspiracies. Instead, distrust often manifests as vague statements, full of suspicion and uncertainty, with conclusions drawn based on the source of the message.