Vaccine Hesitancy: How it Operates Among India’s Poor and Marginalised

[Co-authored with Anshu Deshmukh]

In the minds of the poor and the marginalised sections of society vaccine hesitancy is driven by hostility, suspicion and anger against the state and its agencies. It results in a conspiratorial mindset — vaccines are taken to be yet another weapon with which the state and other privileged sections trouble them with. To eliminate this type of hesitancy public authorities need to create an inclusive and caring ethos for these social groups. Otherwise, awareness and persuasion campaigns will find poor traction. [June 2021]

Misinformation Alone Can't Explain Vaccine Hesitancy Among India's Marginalised - The Wire Science