Enhancing the value and wider benefit of research into Coronavirus Discourses: A Pan-London Immunisation Campaign
Overview
This project aims to enhance immunisation communications by refining message design, developing best-practice blueprints, and creating training resources. It builds on the approaches, findings, and outputs of the AHRC-funded project Coronavirus Discourses: Linguistic Evidence for Effective Public Health Messaging to address vaccine hesitancy. This work is carried out in collaboration with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and its pan-London ‘Why We Get Vaccinated’ (2024-2027) campaign.
This research collaboration enables UKHSA to combine insights from behavioural science with our innovative linguistic methodologies to strengthen the campaign, improve health outcomes, and amplify the voices of vulnerable populations.
Project Aims
We will apply the approaches and insights developed during the Coronavirus Discourses project to the new context of health messaging on vaccination against common infectious diseases. In consultation with the UKHSA we will:
- Appraise and inform campaign messaging design
- Design a blueprint for public health messaging best practice around vaccination
- Develop training materials to support health campaign tailoring for diverse audiences and deliver workshops on applying Arts and Humanities approaches to health communications
- Develop a collection of discourses around vaccination, focusing on multicultural and multilingual communities, to support public health agencies
Underpinning research
Coronavirus Discourses responded to the need to tailor health communications to cater for a diverse audience in an information environment that was constantly changing as the pandemic progressed. We produced a guide for health communications professionals containing insights into public preferences for sources of health information, the effectiveness of different messaging types and framing of instructions, and public understanding of language used in Covid-19 communications. By understanding these preferences, message writers may improve the reception of health guidance and increase compliance. We will enhance the value and benefit of the Coronavirus Discourses project by taking its insights in the new, broader direction of vaccine hesitancy. The outputs of the Coronavirus Discourses project can be viewed on its website.