“There was a lot of that [coercion and manipulation] happening and well, that’s not very trustworthy”: a qualitative study on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Canada

ABSTRACT Although a large proportion of the Canadian population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, millions of eligible individuals remain unvaccinated. Trust in public health and government impacts the effectiveness of crisis communication and the public’s willingness to follow health recommendations. This qualitative study involved semistructured interviews with 12 COVID-19 vaccine-hesitant adults in Canada. Using thematic analysis, four themes were generated, including (1) perceived low use of crisis communication guiding principles contributes to distrust in officials; (2) risk perception and decisions are influenced by a range of sources; (3) concerns regarding vaccine safety, the industry, and politicization of efforts are impacting trust; and (4) stigma around vaccine status further entrenches views and erodes trust. This study highlights the importance of trust and how vaccine hesitancy is fueled by perceived ineffective crisis communication by officials.