Behavioural Considerations for Acceptance and Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccines: WHO Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health 

This is a report from a meeting held in October 2020 to discuss behavioral considerations relating to vaccine acceptance and uptake.

The discussion focused on a series of key questions around achieving high and equitable uptake of vaccines through evidence-based and behaviourally informed strategies. This meeting report is the product of the discussion held by WHO TAG members during the meeting. It covers only the topics that were addressed at the meeting.

The study introduces the topic by stating that behavioral research identifies three categories of drivers of vaccine uptake, in addition to people having the necessary knowledge:

1) an enabling environment

2) social influences

3) motivation

The three drivers interact and overlap, depending on contexts; however, for the purpose of understanding the problem and identifying strategies, it is helpful to keep the categories separate. An appreciation of each driver leads to its own set of insights and interventions, or mix of interventions, which will often vary across communities.

Last modified: December 6, 2020

Language: English