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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:
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.
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.
En dialog mellan patienter och hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal är mest produktiv om man förhåller sig empatiskt och ger patienten möjlighet att bekräfta de underliggande orsakerna till attityden, samt att man uttrycker förståelse för dessa. Därför är det viktigt att förstå attitydgrunden bakom personers uppenbara åsikter. Att bekräfta en persons underliggande attitydgrund innebär inte att vi måste instämma i detaljerna i deras argument. Vi kan till exempel bekräfta att:
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.
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.
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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.