Researching childhood vaccine hesitancy in the wake of COVID-19

Anderson, Alistair; Douglass, Tom; Hobson-West, Pru

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a seismic effect on public healthcare, vaccine production, and on society. However, the pandemic has also had a methodological impact on social researchers, including those seeking to better understand vaccine hesitancy in relation to childhood vaccines. In this short communication, we describe the challenging experience of recruiting and conducting qualitative interviews with UK healthcare professionals and vaccine hesitant parents in early 2022. We also explore the way in which the context of COVID influenced our data analysis. Finally, we make recommendations for how researchers, including those using qualitative or quantitative methods, might learn from our experiences, as the complex and delicate relationship between society and vaccines continues to evolve in the wake of the pandemic.

Citation

Anderson, A., Douglass, T., & Hobson-West, P. (2024). Researching childhood vaccine hesitancy in the wake of COVID-19. Vaccine: X, 16, Article 100450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvacx.2024.100450

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 23, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jan 28, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-01
• Deposit Date: Jan 29, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 31, 2024
• Journal: Vaccine: X
• Print ISSN: 2590-1362
• Electronic ISSN: 2590-1362
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Article Number: 100450
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvacx.2024.100450
• Keywords: Qualitative methods, Vaccine hesitancy, COVID-19, Childhood vaccination, Immunisation
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/30154002