Project
COVID-19 Vaccine Skepticism in Canada
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Join us for a 6-part report series focused on attitudes about COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy, public trust and support for government, and how this is all changing over time. These reports ask what lessons we might learn from a COVID-19 vaccine roll-out that can be applied more generally to vaccine skepticism. The project is authored by Dr. Peter Loewen and is based on data collected by the Media Ecosystem Observatory (MEO):
- Report 1: The Waiting is the Hardest Part (January 19)
- Report 2: Support for a Canadian ‘Vaccine Passport’ (February 16)
- Report 3: Do Vaccine Brand Preferences Exist? (March 16)
- Report 4: Do We Still Have a Consensus Around COVID-19 (April 20)
- Report 5: Reaching the Vaccine Hesitant (May 18)
- Report 6: Three Areas in Which Pandemic Management Could Have Been Better – A Retrospective Report (July 28).
Building off PPF’s successful Science Disinformation in a Time of Pandemic project, this project asks how a COVID-19 vaccine will succeed and offers practical and tactical advice to governments.
There is a widespread belief that a vaccine will end the pandemic and allow a return to normalcy. However, that belief relies heavily on assumptions about herd immunity and ignores fundamental questions. What would be the impact of 35 percent of Canadians not getting a vaccine or 55 percent of Americans? It is not as simple as saying once a vaccine is widely rolled out, the pandemic will be over. There are issues of availability, accessibility, governance, and public trust. Any one of these challenges may impact COVID-19 vaccine skepticism and foster online dis/misinformation, and in some ways, hinge on a sufficient value proposition disseminated by public health authorities in Canada.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Skepticism project will leverage PPF’s expertise in digital democracy and public trust. It will also build from PPF’s Science Disinformation in a Time of Pandemic which seeks to understand the science disinformation landscape through the lens of COVID-19, and what can be done about it.
From January to July, we will release a web editorial authored by Dr. Peter Loewen and supported by original public opinion data gathered in collaboration between Public Policy Forum, the Policy, Elections & Representation Lab at Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, and Media Ecosystem Observatory.
Events
Reports
Report 6: Three Areas in Which Pandemic Management Could Have Been Better
Members of Canada’s political class should on balance receive at least a passing grade for their management of the pandemic, and Canadians should be both proud and worried about policymakers’ performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The three areas in which they could have done better include: keeping schools open, using technology to combat the pandemic, and prioritizing vaccine targeting.
Report 5: Reaching the Vaccine Hesitant
As the supply and availability of vaccines continue to increase across Canada, the only limiting factor on vaccination rates will soon be the willingness of otherwise-reluctant individuals to be vaccinated. Examining data from the Media Ecosystem Observatory, Dr. Peter Loewen provides a real-time view of the vaccine hesitant in Canada. Who are these people? Where do they live? How informed are they about COVID-19?
Report 4: Do We Still Have a Consensus Around COVID-19
News headlines emphasize non-compliance and dissatisfaction with the COVID-19 response. Yet a COVID-19 consensus has emerged, and Canadians are as supportive of governments’ response to the virus as they were 10 months ago. Examining data from the Media Ecosystem Observatory, Dr. Peter Loewen finds that Canadians broadly agree on the risks of the disease, what measures should be taken to fight it and how much income support individuals and businesses should receive.
Report 3: Do Vaccine Brand Preferences Exist?
Canada has approved four COVID-19 vaccines for use and secured access to more vaccine doses per person than any other country. With such a wide array of vaccines likely to be made available to them, Canadians’ preferences on which vaccine they receive could have a big impact on the vaccination campaign. With data from the Media Ecosystem Observatory, Dr. Peter Loewen breaks down what Canadians consider most important in a vaccine, and which vaccines they prefer.
Report 2: Support for a Canadian “Vaccine Passport”
"Support for a Canadian 'Vaccine Passport'" is the second piece in a six-part series focused on attitudes about COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy, public trust and support for government, and how this is all changing over time. The project is authored by Dr. Peter Loewen and is based on data collected by the Media Ecosystem Observatory (MEO).
Report 1: The Waiting is the Hardest Part
“The Waiting is the Hardest Part” is the first piece in a six-part series focused on attitudes about COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy, public trust and support for government, and how this is all changing over time. The project is authored by Dr. Peter Loewen and is based on data collected by the Media Ecosystem Observatory (MEO).
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