Visual policy narrative messaging improves COVID-19 vaccine uptake

"Significance Statement

To increase individuals’ risk reduction behaviors in times of crisis, how risk messages are communicated matters. In this experimental panel study on COVID-19 vaccine behavior, we find three key effective risk communication strategies. First, relaying information in narrative form, which includes characters and a moral to the story (solution), is more powerful at influencing vaccine behavior than nonnarrative, take action–only, messages. Second, narrative messages focusing on protecting others familiar to you as opposed to oneself are most effective across all political ideologies. Third, visual policy narrative messages can be a productive approach for risk communication across various venues, such as social media, for effective risk communication and to effectively foster public health...

Introduction

... [V]accine hesitancy in the United States and other countries has remained constant over time, despite increasingly sophisticated and well-funded technologies for the development and efficacy testing of vaccines. This dynamic has been clearly on display during the COVID-19 pandemic. To date (December 2022), only 68.6% of Americans are fully COVID-19 vaccinated, with rates in some states as low as 52.6%. With an eye toward diminishing viral spread and achieving herd immunity, the health community is calling for more effective risk communication approaches to raise awareness, align attitudes, and positively influence vaccine uptake. In tandem with critical works on crisis and risk communication, we propose to explore a narrative-based risk communication approach, whereby risk information is conveyed in story form as a lingua franca to influence risk reduction behavior...

Since the advent of COVID-19 vaccines, entities such as the Center for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have worked to improve vaccine communications, in part, but perhaps inadvertently, through the use of narrative structure. For example, 'COVID-19 Vaccination is the best way to protect children against severe COVID-19' is a narrative message that includes a victim (children) who could be harmed by a villain (COVID-19) but can be protected by a hero who provides them with a solution (the COVID-19 vaccine)."