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Nature Podcast

Audio long read: How to speak to a vaccine sceptic β€” research reveals what works

Nature Podcast

[email protected]

Science, News, Technology

4.4 β€’ 859 Ratings

πŸ—“οΈ 4 July 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Questions and doubts about vaccines are on the rise worldwide and public-health specialists worry that these trends could worsen. But while the shift in public attitudes towards immunizations can leave scientists, physicians and many others feeling disheartened, a surge of research on vaccine hesitancy is starting to offer ways to address the issue.


This is an audio version of our Feature How to speak to a vaccine sceptic: research reveals what works


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

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0:00.0

full and peer is being sport for choice in a riverside food hall and playing with interactive art tree pose with river views fairly laughing at local comedians kids dancing at a toddler disco claring checkmate with the nigroney flat whites and river strolls sampling chef ad and buy at seasonal menus watching rowers go head to head recharging with a luxurious riverside staycation.

0:27.4

Slowing down to enjoy what matters most. London's most exciting new riverside destination is now open.

0:29.8

Visit full and peer.com.

0:41.0

This is an audio long read from nature. In this episode, How to Speak to a Vaccine Skeptic.

0:43.8

Research reveals what works.

0:47.7

Written by Helen Pearson and read by me, Benjamin Thompson.

0:59.1

In her professional life, Sophia Newcomer analyzes vaccination trends and safety in the United States. The epidemiologist at the University of Montana, Missoula, has investigated the factors that

1:06.0

stopped some people from completing their children's recommended immunizations. So it's no surprise that in her personal life,

1:14.6

newcomer is asked questions about vaccines too.

1:17.6

I'm a mom, I've had plenty of playground conversations, she says.

1:22.6

When people find out I study vaccines, they love to ask questions.

1:26.6

What I try to do is listen and, as best as I

1:30.4

can, share what I know. Questions and doubts about vaccines are on the rise worldwide. A major

1:38.9

global study found that perceptions of vaccines' importance for children dropped in 52 of 55 countries studied

1:47.5

during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, about 20% of parents are hesitant about

1:55.1

vaccines, one reason for an outbreak of measles this year that has killed three unvaccinated people.

2:02.9

Public health specialists worry that these trends could worsen, in part because of the influence

2:08.9

of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly questioned the safety of vaccines and

2:14.8

inaccurately connected them to autism.

2:23.1

Kennedy was tapped this year by U.S. President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the HHS, which approves vaccines and makes recommendations about their use.

2:31.3

The shift in public attitudes towards immunizations can leave scientists, physicians, and many others feeling disheartened, because vaccines are among the most cost-effective ways to prevent disease, and have saved more than 150 million lives over the past 50 years.

2:50.0

So, what should you say to someone who has doubts?

...

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