Vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccination in the time of COVID-19: A Google Trends analysis

Pullan, Samuel ORCID: 0000-0002-4769-2636 and Dey, Mrinalini ORCID: 0000-0001-6858-4338 (2021) Vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccination in the time of COVID-19: A Google Trends analysis. VACCINE, 39 (14). pp. 1877-1881.

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced many calls for a vaccine. There is growing concern that vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccination presence will dampen the uptake of a coronavirus vaccine. There are many cited reasons for vaccine hesitancy. Mercury content, autism association, and vaccine danger have been commonly found in anti-vaccination messages. It is also mused that the reduced disease burden from infectious diseases has paradoxically reduced the perceived requirement for vaccine uptake. Our analysis using Google Trends has shown that throughout the pandemic the search interest in a coronavirus vaccine has increased and remained high throughout. Peaks are found when public declarations are made, the case number increases significantly, or when vaccine breakthroughs are announced. Anti-vaccine searches, in the context of COVID-19, have had a continued and growing presence during the pandemic. Contrary to what some may believe, the burden of coronavirus has not been enough to dissuade anti-vaccine searches entirely.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Vaccine hesitancy, Anti-vaccination, Google trends, Vaccine safety, Vaccine uptake
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Clinical Directorate Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health > School of Health Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	16 Mar 2023 08:18
Last Modified:	16 Mar 2023 08:20
DOI:	10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.03.019
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3117592