Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Peter Loewen, and Eric Merkley, professor of political science at UofT join to publish new research on vaccine hesitancy. A major finding is that people are more willing to take vaccines with higher reported levels of efficacy and safety.  They conducted a series of cross-sectional survey experiments to test for brand-based differences in perceived effectiveness, perceived safety, and vaccination intention. Despite all vaccines being approved and deemed safe and effective by a federal regulator, there is more reluctance to take AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines compared to those from Pfizer and Moderna. Loewen and Merkley provide suggestions to minimize the the challenges that accompany vaccine hesitancy.

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