Uni researches jab take up across UK
Researchers at Stirling University are hoping their new UK-wide project will help understand public attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccination.
The study polled around 5,000 people across Scotland, England and Wales in January and February this year and explored areas such as willingness to have the vaccine and reasons for uncertainty in signing up for a jab.
It also looked at levels of trust in key organisations and sources and reviewed public understanding and acceptance of the delivery of the phased programme to priority groups.
The findings - due later this spring will be shared with key groups involved with vaccine policy including the UK Government and Public Health Scotland - to come up with effective public campaigns.
Martine Stead, deputy director of the university’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health, is leading the research.
Ms Stead said: “We want to understand more about what people see as the upsides and downsides of the Covid-19 vaccine. This information will help to design vaccination campaigns and communications in the future that are trusted by people, because they will tell them what they want or need to know before making a decision about having the vaccination.
“With almost 5,000 survey responses, we’ve seen a huge level of interest in this issue from people who want to make their views known. We are collecting data from people in Scotland, England and Wales right at a time when they are faced with a large amount of information about vaccinations so we expect the responses and data to be particularly rich and insightful.
“These learnings will be used on an ongoing basis to help support a high uptake of the vaccine.”
Alongside the main survey, the research also includes indepth interviews with around 30 participants on various topics including vaccine passports, annual Covid-19 vaccinations and misinformation surrounding the jag.
The university-led project is among more than 3,500 projects related to the virus which are being funded and supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) with the total cost earmarked of the programme reaching £550 million.
Professor Charlotte Deane, Covid-19 response director at UKRI, said: “Looking back over the past year, it’s clear that the pandemic has had a devastating impact on so many aspects of our lives, but I take more than a glimmer of hope from the extraordinary work being undertaken by researchers and businesses across the UK.
“These projects are just the tip of the iceberg. They show the tenacity and creativity of our research and innovation communities in Scotland and beyond, who have stepped up in the most challenging of times to come together and fight back against this devastating disease.”
We want to understand more about what people see as the upsides and downsides