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Communication tool
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Frame it: help people see it differently
What the research tells us In vaccinations, safety and risk frames are common (presenting the risks of the disease or side effects of the disease for example) but also less helpful to building trust and motivating vaccination (see 4. Motivate it). There are a number of frames that should be avoided because they do not build trust or confidence, they surface people’s fears indirectly and they reinforce the idea that others are hesitant.
Insight: What is a frame? A frame is a lens through which we can present particular issues. Each frame comes with a bundle of neurologically hard-wired associations and existing understandings and explanations. Different frames lead people to think and act in different ways. For example, if we frame vaccinations solely through the lens of individual benefits, it can lead to ‘free-rider’ behaviour, which involves getting the benefits of other people getting vaccinated through herd immunity while deciding not to get vaccinated yourself. Every issue we talk about is framed, regardless of whether we are aware of it or not. Economic and individual choice frames are common but unhelpful when we want to deepen understanding of collective problems, solutions and effective action.
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The Workshop 2021
How to talk about COVID-19 vaccinations: Building trust in vaccinations
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