Media Coverage and the Uptake of the COVID-19 Vaccine

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an unprecedented, ever-changing situation causing disruption across the UK and the world. Therefore, understanding vaccine hesitancy is crucial if, as a society, we wish to return to a sense of normality after the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve herd immunity among society against the SARS-CoV-2. virus. Vaccine hesitancy is often related to misinformation, which is spread online. Therefore, social media has amplified the spread of antivaccination messages. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between misinformation and vaccine hesitancy in order to analyse the resultant impact on the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. By gathering quantitative data through online surveys using a self-selective sample, this study aims to gain greater sociological insight in order to answer the research question: has negative media coverage and misinformation influenced individuals’ ideas and behaviours surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine? Gaining primary data seemed an advantageous approach to understand individual beliefs and behaviours surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine within the UK. This is a highly reflective topic of study due to the current nature of the research and the threat vaccine hesitancy poses to public health. Findings from this research highlights an awareness of concerns being heightened through the media, yet 94.4% of participants still received the COVID-19 vaccine. This emphasises a disregard for misinformation within the media and indicates the consensus of scientific knowledge. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of vaccine hesitancy and media influence on the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine