Never Too Late to Change the Rate: Attitudes of UK adults aged 50-70 towards respiratory vaccinations
Our report calls for tailored strategies to reach and engage with those in underserved communities, and for a multi-channelled communication approach to include unusual spaces, such as workplaces, when delivering messages about vaccinations.
Vaccines are vital to keep communities healthy
Vaccines play a key role in keeping us and our communities healthy, and do this throughout our lives. There is growing concern about the decreasing uptake of routine vaccinations in the UK, putting everyone from children to adults at risk of catching severe diseases. There are specific vaccine programmes for older adults and adults with underlying health conditions in the UK.
Understanding what people think about current and future vaccine programmes is crucial, so that governments and local authorities, policymakers, practitioners, communities and industry can work together to design effective vaccination programmes that support as many people as possible.
The RSPH surveyed adults between 50-70 years old on their thoughts about vaccines for respiratory illnesses. We wanted to know what they were concerned about, links between health conditions and perceptions, where they obtained trusted information and what would encourage them to have a vaccine.
86%
of people aged 50-70 think that vaccines are important to their health
4 in 5
people in this age group know how a vaccine works
85%
would trust a healthcare professional to give them information about vaccines
Key recommendations
1. Those delivering vaccines or developing vaccination programmes and policies should use multiple channels and approaches to reach and engage with 50-70-year-olds, with tailored strategies particularly for those in underserved communities.
Respondents showed a level of uncertainty in their perceptions of vaccinations, and this demonstrates that people working with vaccines at all levels must fine-tune engagement and communication strategies so people feel supported with their questions or concerns.
2. Vaccine providers and all involved in this group of people's health and wellbeing should share the benefits of vaccination and how they impact their lives and their community’s health, including unusual spaces such as workplaces.
Our communication approach should be multi-channelled, and this includes using spaces where the public is to reach them. Public health approaches and programmes can be delivered opportunistically across a range of settings that are convenient to the public, such as workplaces. Despite ranking low in this poll, there is evidence that workplaces can support the public with their health. Trust in information from employers was low, but the workplace offers an opportunity to support vaccination understanding and uptake.
3. Training and support should be made available to all those working with or supporting older people so that they feel able to have informative and valuable conversations about the benefits of vaccination.
Healthcare professionals are trusted by 50-70 year-olds, however they may not always have the time or be in the most convenient places to engage with communities and individuals. Their work has an enormous impact on this group’s perceptions of vaccinations; they must have the time, support and training required to deliver their work to the level they want to.
Moderna has funded this research and had no editorial input into the content. Work was reviewed for compliance with the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries Code of Conduct.
