Nature Hesitancy about vaccinations is on the rise, but studies show there are specific ways to address people’s questions. In her professional life, Sophia Newcomer analyses vaccination trends and safety in the United States. The epidemiologist, at the University of Montana, Missoula, has investigated the factors that stop some people from completing their children’s recommended immunizations.
So it’s no surprise that in her personal life, Newcomer is asked questions about vaccines, too. “I’m a mom — I’ve had plenty of playground conversations,” she says. “When people find out I study vaccines, they love to ask questions. What I try to do is listen and, as best as I can, share what I know.”
Questions and doubts about vaccines are on the rise worldwide. A major global study found that perceptions of vaccines’ importance for children dropped in 52 of 55 countries studied during the COVID-19 pandemic1 (see ‘Lost confidence’). In the United States, about 20% of parents are hesitant about vaccines — one reason for an outbreak of measles this year that has killed three unvaccinated people.