Politicians not best choice to promote vaccine
Seventy-five years ago, the Second World War in Europe officially came to an end. After brutal armed conflict, economic devastation, famine, disease and the Holocaust, an estimated 70 million to 85 million people — three per cent of the global 1940 population — had perished. Ever since, nations have marked Victory in Europe Day as the end of this dark and terrible time.
In 2020, the end of another scourge has officially begun, this time a global pandemic. The first COVID-19 vaccine was administered on Dec. 8 to a 90-year-old British pensioner, Margaret Keenan. She spoke for millions when she said, “It's the best early birthday present I could wish for because it means I can finally look forward to spending time with my family and friends in the New Year after being on my own for most of the year.”
As in 1945, a return to normal will not come overnight. The pandemic's death toll is 1.62 million and counting. The vaccine rollout will be long and uneven. Developing countries could take years to achieve full immunization, raising the possibility that COVID-19 could become endemic. Health officials caution that masks and distancing still will be needed to contain its spread for some time. Millions suffer as economies lie in ruins, unable to fully recover until restrictions no longer stifle travel and commerce.
The vaccine has brought the first rays of hope that better days lie ahead. But that path will depend on both individual and collective action — and not everyone is on board.
According to a new Angus Reid Institute poll, 14 per cent of Canadians will not get vaccinated. Another seven per cent are not sure. Responses vary significantly across the country. In B.C., only nine per cent will eschew the shot;
The real problem isn't what's being asked of people, but who's doing the asking.
in Alberta, that number triples to 27 per cent.
Can vaccine skeptics be persuaded? “We're not going to strap people down to force them to be injected with the vaccine,” said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. “We will encourage people to use it because the more people who use it, the better off we're all going to be.”
Politicians appealing to social solidarity may not be the solution, however. The real problem isn't what's being asked of people, but who's doing the asking. Lack of trust in government may be the primary obstacle.
Philosophically, conservatives are more likely to be skeptical of the state, increasing the likelihood that they would object to government-touted solutions, including vaccines. This appears to be borne out in the political “vaccine divide” recently uncovered by three public opinion surveys. An average of 84 per cent of Liberal voters and 79 per cent of New Democrats said they would get vaccinated immediately or very soon, compared to 69 per cent of Conservatives. Five per cent of Liberal supporters and nine per cent of New Democrats say they will not get vaccinated at all, versus 19 per cent of Conservative voters.
To be sure, the handling of the pandemic by the Liberal government in Ottawa has not helped. Ottawa's failure to screen travellers in the pandemic's early days, chief public health officer Theresa Tam's ensuant waffling on the wearing of masks, and even Ottawa's recent clawing back of CERB payments are all examples of government incompetence.
Given the mistrust, politicians may need to step back and let others do the asking. Friends, medical professionals and faith leaders could have more influence in changing reluctant minds than officials will. The tendency of left-leaning politicians to deploy government to solve every problem risks backfiring, deepening suspicions among skeptics who sense they are being compelled to get an injection.
Conservatives know well that culture is the most powerful influencer, and conservative approaches are better suited to leveraging the power of communities in changing minds. Getting enough people vaccinated to declare victory over COVID-19 will require persuading skeptics to focus on the bigger picture, not on fearing big government.