Coronavirus

Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center said shows like “Tucker Carlson Tonight” foster distrust in the COVID-19 vaccine by perpetuating viewers’ assumptions. “If you hear the word lie tied to Anthony Fauci, and Anthony Fauci now comes on in a completely different venue, the assumption is, you can’t trust Anthony Fauci,” she said.

Alison Buttenheim of the School of Nursing spoke about ways to persuade people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. She said one effective method for changing minds is ongoing conversation “with a trusted peer who can listen to where you’re coming from, and acknowledge your concerns are valid, and perhaps quite slowly chip away at outstanding concerns you might have.”

Damon Centola of the Annenberg School for Communication said high-profile celebrities are better at marketing products and raising awareness than convincing their followers to embrace more complex ideas. “The way we’re using social influence is a little outdated,” he said. “Giving some groups a vehicle for talking about it and supporting each other in the communities is key.”

Eric Feldman of the Law School spoke about the possibility of fake vaccine cards. “It's inevitably dangerous, and it's not going to be easy to root out,” he said. “I worry if this will become a widespread phenomenon. But how many there are, and how much of a risk they pose—we really don't know yet.”

Alison Buttenheim and Ashley Ritter of the School of Nursing spoke about their efforts to answer the public’s questions about COVID-19 through their online platform, Dear Pandemic. “We want it to sound like it comes from your neighbor who happens to have a Ph.D.,” said Ritter.

PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel spoke about the need for federal leadership in the fight against COVID-19. “If you look through history, there are presidents who—even in the absence of legal authority—influence people, you might say,” he said. “We keep referring to this COVID thing like it’s an emergency, and then we don’t behave like it’s a wartime emergency.”

PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel said that service members, if required to be vaccinated, could positively influence others to follow suit. “People admire our military,” he said.

Dena Gromet of the Wharton School said vaccine incentives like lotteries may be effective, “but we are likely going to have to rely on a multiprong approach to be able to really make a dent in vaccination going forward.”