Lopez, Melissa

Person Preferred Name
Lopez, Melissa
Model
Digital Document
Publisher
Florida Atlantic University
Description
According to the World Health Organization, one of the top ten threats to global health today is vaccine hesitancy. Reasons why people are hesitant towards vaccinating their children can fall into several categories, including being exposed to misinformation and conspiracy theories, being skeptical, and having altered perceptions of what the risks and benefits of receiving vaccines are. This paper will review psychological concepts that are likely to contribute to vaccine hesitancy and will make policy suggestions on the basis of findings from the psychological literature. It is essential to understand these issues in order to move forward and develop solutions to protect the health of those involved and those who could potentially be affected. It is equally as important to study possible strategies from a psychological perspective to ensure their effectiveness.