Ann Christiano, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications Center for Public Interest Communications director, was featured in the “Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy” broadcast on Orlando, Florida, public radio station WMFE-FM on Aug. 13.

Christiano, Jack Barry, a post-doctoral research associate for the Center, and Center Research Director Annie Neimand conducted research on vaccine hesitancy during the pandemic and recently published Invest in Trust: A Guide for Building COVID-19 Vaccine Trust and Increasing Vaccination Rates Among CNAs.

The guide addresses concerns and challenges nursing home workers have expressed and outlines the most effective approaches to build trust in the vaccine and make it easier for them to get vaccinated.

Christiano says that the key to getting buy-in for vaccinations is to listen to people’s concerns about the vaccine and acknowledge the reasons why they may be afraid or reluctant to get a shot.

“One of the things that we recognized very early in this project was that encouraging people to make the choice to get vaccinated is fundamentally about trust, not just trust in the vaccines, but trust in those who are asking us to get it or requiring now, increasingly, us to get it,” said Christiano.

She adds, “I think it really starts with number one, making sure that people have very easy access to the vaccine that they are getting paid time off; that they’re getting vouchers for transportation or childcare, recognizing that a lot of the people who haven’t yet chosen to become vaccinated are facing a lot of really big challenges in life.”

Posted: August 13, 2021
Category: Center for Public Interest Communications, College News, Covid-19 Updates
Tagged as: Ann Searight Christiano, Annie Neimand, Center for Public Interest Communications, Covid-19, Jack Berry