"Existing research on factors informing public perceptions of expert trustworthiness was largely conducted during stable periods and in longestablished Western liberal democracies. This article asks whether the same factors apply during a major health crisis and in relatively new democracies. Drawin
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g on 120 interviews and diaries conducted during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Serbia, we identify two additional factors not acknowledged in existing research, namely personal contact with experts and experts’ independence from political elites. We also examine how different factors interact and show how distrust of experts can lead to exposure to online misinformation." (Abstract)
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"We review 100 articles published from 2000 to early 2020 that research aspects of vaccine hesitancy in online communication spaces and identify several gaps in the literature prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. These gaps relate to five areas: disciplinary focus; specific vaccine, condition, or disease
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focus; stakeholders and implications; research methodology; and geographical coverage. Our findings show that we entered the global pandemic vaccination effort without a thorough understanding of how levels of confidence and hesitancy might differ across conditions and vaccines, geographical areas, and platforms, or how they might change over time. In addition, little was known about the role of platforms, platforms’ politics, and specific sociotechnical affordances in the spread of vaccine hesitancy and the associated issue of misinformation online." (Abstract)
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"In this paper, we share selected insights from our work across seven countries facing complex and often protracted preexisting humanitarian crises before the pandemic. Over the past nine months, with Internews’ Rooted in Trust project, we have worked to understand the role of rumors and misinform
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ation in the pandemic and to support humanitarian and media communicators to listen, engage and respond to community information needs. Many of the insights we offer here are derived from our research to map the Information Ecosystems in seven geographies, drawing from extensive qualitative and quantitative data (more than 2,400 survey respondents, 230 qualitative interviews and 130 focus groups). We hope these will contribute to move the community of information, public health, humanitarian aid and government practitioners towards a more sophisticated understanding of what drives and solidifies trust and away from the all too frequent dismissive judgements that played a central role in the breakdown of trust." (Introduction, page 2)
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"COVID-19 vaccine deployment faces an unprecedented degree of uncertainty and complexity, which is difficult to communicate, such as immune response, duration of immunity, repeated vaccination, transmission dynamics, microbiological and clinical characteristics and multiple vaccines. Priority groups
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for vaccine deployment need transparent public debate to build support for ethical principles. Current seasonal flu uptake is low in certain groups, suggesting vaccination challenges, which include: high risk groups under the age of 65 (40 - 50%), support staff in health care organisations (as low as 37%) and London and even variation amongst key workers such as Doctors (40 - 100%). Deployment and tracking should build on existing immunisation programmes such as primary care by GPs to identify comorbidities, track vaccinations and reminders for additional boosters. COVID-19 vaccine deployment faces an infodemic with misinformation often filling the knowledge void, characterised by: (1) distrust of science and selective use of expert authority, (2) distrust in pharmaceutical companies and government, (3) straightforward explanations, (4) use of emotion; and, (5) echo chambers. A narrow focus on misinformation disregards the fact that there are genuine knowledge voids, necessitating public dialogue about vaccine concerns and hesitancy rather than providing passive one-way communication strategies." (Summary of key points, page 1)
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"This brief draws on social science literature and informal interviews with experts to illustrate that vaccine hesitancy is more complex and context-specific, and often reflects diverse, everyday anxieties – not just, or even primarily, exposure to misinformation or anti-vaccine campaigners. Based
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on this, the brief proposes strategies to guide policy makers, public health officials, vaccine developers, health workers, researchers, advocates, communicators, media actors and others involved in vaccine development, communication and deployment to boost confidence in COVID-19 vaccines." (Page 1)
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"This report, which was developed in consultation with leading experts in social and behavioral sciences and public health, outlines evidence-informed communication strategies in support of national COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts across federal agencies and their state and local partners. The
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recommendations put forth are actionable and responsive to the unique challenges faced by the United States in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report relies on a few foundational practices of effective health communication, namely coordinated communication and consistent messaging, trust building through partnerships, consideration of different health literacy levels in the population, and importantly, prioritizing equity in all aspects of communication. We build on these foundational principles to outline three intersecting considerations for communication efforts (What is being communicated, Who is the target of the message, and How the message is communicated), along with concrete recommendations for targeted and tailored communication that responds to the needs and perspectives of the intended audience." (Executive summary)
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"Mobile ownership in all of the four surveys [in Ghana, Nothern Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania] was around 90%, making the mobile phone the most widely owned device media device, both used as a media carrier (radio) and a media in its own right (Internet, SMS) [...] Radio remains the dominant medium
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for obtaining news and information and only in Ghana (where electricity access is wider) does TV come close to the percentage of those listening to radio. In each of the countries examined, the media has been liberalized and the radio and TV audiences are fragmented so that only a relatively small number of players reach over 25% of the audience [...] As the continent’s most owned device, the mobile phone is used most regularly for: voice calls; radio; SMS; Internet and Social Media. Between a fifth and a third of all those surveyed used the Internet on a daily basis [...] Between 14-27% of all those surveyed used social media and the dominant platform is Facebook [...] Radio and TV channels scored most highly in terms of those surveyed trusting the health information they heard on saw on them. The level of trust in these channels in Senegal was significantly lower than in the other countries." (Summary, page 5-9)
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"This guide sets out approaches and tools for public awareness and public education in disaster risk reduction already widely in use by National Societies. It pulls together a range of research on risk communications and public education for behaviour change, and practitioners’ own discoveries in
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applying these. The guide focuses on four key approaches: campaigns, participatory learning, informal education, formal school-based interventions. It considers the following tools for implementing these approaches, including publications, curricula, modules and presentations, e-learning, performing and cultural arts, games and competitions, audio and video materials, web pages and activities, and social media and telecommunications. It then explains how to ensure that these tools are high quality, focusing on powerful images and well-crafted messages that are engaging, proven, adapted and localized. It also highlights the principles needed to apply these effectively: ensuring legitimacy and credibility, consistency and standard messaging, scalability, and sustainability. Through a wealth of examples, the guide highlights integrated experiences, approaches and tools, by region." (Pages 9-10)
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"The report has two parts. The first, devoted to outbreak experience, describes the special case of outbreaks and the many difficult challenges they present for communicators. It also summarizes presentations during the consultation that looked at recent outbreaks in terms of what they have to say a
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bout effective communication and the consequences of certain errors. The second part translates these experiences into best practices for communication during an outbreak. Contents are organized around five essential practices for effective outbreak communication identified during the consultation: build trust, announce early, be transparent, respect public concerns, and plan in advance." (Page 3)
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"To develop communication capacity specifically around adverse events following immunisation (AEFI), the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) and the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO) organized a joint regional workshop "Strategic Communication: Building Trust and Responding to
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Adverse Events Following Immunisation in South Asia", in New Delhi from 9 to 10 August 2004. This working paper synthesises the presentations and debates from the workshop." (Foreword)
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