ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses vaccine hesitance in light of social identity theory, according to which the identity of individuals evolves according to the social context and the communities that best enable them to make sense of it. These affiliations guide behaviour through the influence of social norms perceived as shared within the community. The “bandwagon” effect, in which people vaccinate when realizing that others in their community do so as well, illustrates this. Norms can also encourage mistrust and conflict by making behaviour (whether or not to be vaccinated) a marker of identity, thereby fuelling polarisation. The role of social identity in shaping (dis)trust is also highlighted. These identities may fluctuate as a function of the social context, which explains variations in vaccine hesitancy across time. For most people, vaccination entails equating the interests of the community with their own interests. Hence, vaccination can be seen as a social contract – in which everyone makes an effort for the community, and expects to be treated well in return, whatever other allegiances they may have. The chapter also considers whether vaccine hesitancy can be viewed as “free-riding”: benefitting from other people’s engagement in vaccination, through herd immunity, without engaging in it.
