Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Vaccine Hesitancy: Developing Trust and Shifting Stereotypes

Abstract

Research on vaccine hesitancy typically generates the assumption that researchers are in favour of all vaccines, thus excluding collaborators with varying degrees of vaccine hesitancy. However, there are reasons to suggest that, in addition to focusing on specific groups of parents, interdisciplinary research groups could investigate multiple voices within and purposefully invite vaccine-hesitant researchers to collaborate. This project involved interviews with vaccine-hesitant parents and the creation of an educational film about vaccine hesitancy. The article exposes aspects of critical conversations between an artist and a scientist, two collaborators representing different disciplines and different degrees of vaccine acceptance. Due to the differences in values and roles, the project engendered a methodological proposition and a “safe space” in which the collaborators could engage in dialogue with a person representing different views on immunization. The collaborators represented a simulated vaccine-hesitant individual and vaccine expert, enabling them to practice and reflect on their communication.