Title: Exploring the psychological drivers and impact of public health communications on vaccination beliefs of minority ethnic groups
Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Abstract: Evidence indicates some minority ethnic groups have lower intentions to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This is of considerable concern given higher COVID-19 incidence, morbidity, and mortality among minority ethnic groups. There is limited evidence of the reasons underpinning vaccine hesitancy in minority ethnic groups in the UK, but emerging evidence indicates it is related to beliefs about vaccine safety/efficacy and issues of mistrust towards formal services, as well as practical barriers such as access. This proposal responds directly to these issues and in so doing will meet two principle aims. The first is to expand the empirical evidence base for understanding the psychological drivers of COVID-19 vaccination beliefs among minority ethnic groups in the UK. The second is to inform public health communications designed to support the UK mass vaccination programme. To this end it will achieve the following objectives: 1. Provide an in-depth analysis of factors influencing COVID-19 vaccination beliefs and intentions among minority ethnic groups in the UK, including changes over time. 2. Explore the experiences of UK community organisations to identify the barriers and facilitators to support they can offer during the vaccination phase of the COVID-19 response. 3. Capture the impact of tailored public health communications on COVID-19 vaccination beliefs and intentions among minority ethnic groups in the UK. 4. Build a repository of targeted COVID-19 vaccination campaigns to be made freely available to all organisations working to support the UK COVID-19 response to facilitate sharing of best practice. 5. Employ a behavioural science framework to evaluate targeted COVID-19 vaccination campaigns to enable clearer guidance for the design and evaluation of public health campaigns. 6. Deliver practical, evidence-based recommendations to support the rapid development of evidence-based, theoretically informed, tailored health messages that are critical for the ongoing success of the UK mass vaccination programme.

Lay abstract: Psychological drivers of behaviour can help explain why individuals engage in protective and risky health behaviours and inform strategies to promote behaviour change. Recent evidence indicates some minority ethnic groups have lower intentions to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This is of considerable concern given higher COVID-19 incidence, morbidity, and mortality among minority ethnic groups. There is limited evidence of the reasons underpinning vaccine hesitancy in minority ethnic groups in the UK, but it is potentially linked to beliefs about vaccine safety/efficacy and issues of mistrust towards formal services, as well as practical barriers such as access. This study will involve three waves of in-depth interviews and focus groups with minority ethnic community members and organisations in London and Birmingham to understand (i) specific barriers and facilitators of vaccine uptake, (ii) changes in COVID-19 and vaccination risk perceptions over time, (iii) challenges for building and sustaining community support for vaccination programmes, and (iv) the impact of public health campaigns on vaccination intention. We will also use a behavioural science framework to evaluate national and local campaigns across the UK. This will facilitate the rapid development of evidence-based, theoretically informed, tailored health messages that are critical for the success of the UK mass vaccination programme. It will also support the sustained community engagement that is crucial for optimising public health outcomes.

Research activity codes: 3.4 VACCINES
Health categories: INFECTION