Risk Consciousness and Public Perceptions of Covid-19 Vaccine Passports

TY - JOUR

T1 - Risk Consciousness and Public Perceptions of Covid-19 Vaccine Passports

AU - Ajana, Btihaj

AU - Engstler, Elena

AU - Ismail, Anas

AU - Kousta, Marina

N1 - Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by a seed fund from King’s College London which was provided to author B.A. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2023.

PY - 2023/6/21

Y1 - 2023/6/21

N2 - In response to the global outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, many countries around the world have rushed to develop and implement various mechanisms, including vaccination passports, to contain the spread of the virus and manage its significant impact on heath and society. COVID-19 passports have been promoted as a way of speeding society’s return to ‘normal’ life while protecting public health and safety. These passports, however, are not without controversy. Various concerns have been raised with regard to their social and ethical implications. Framing the discussion within the ‘risk society’ thesis and drawing on an interview-based study with members of the UK public as well as the relevant literature, this article examines perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine passports. The findings of the study indicate that participants’ attitudes toward vaccine passports are primarily driven by factors relating to perceptions of risk. While some considered vaccine passports as a positive strategy to encourage vaccine uptake and facilitate travel and daily activities, others saw this mechanism as a coercive step that might alienate further those who are already vaccine hesitant. Issues of fairness, equity, discrimination, trust, and data security were major themes in participants’ narratives and their subjective assessment of vaccine passports.

AB - In response to the global outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, many countries around the world have rushed to develop and implement various mechanisms, including vaccination passports, to contain the spread of the virus and manage its significant impact on heath and society. COVID-19 passports have been promoted as a way of speeding society’s return to ‘normal’ life while protecting public health and safety. These passports, however, are not without controversy. Various concerns have been raised with regard to their social and ethical implications. Framing the discussion within the ‘risk society’ thesis and drawing on an interview-based study with members of the UK public as well as the relevant literature, this article examines perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine passports. The findings of the study indicate that participants’ attitudes toward vaccine passports are primarily driven by factors relating to perceptions of risk. While some considered vaccine passports as a positive strategy to encourage vaccine uptake and facilitate travel and daily activities, others saw this mechanism as a coercive step that might alienate further those who are already vaccine hesitant. Issues of fairness, equity, discrimination, trust, and data security were major themes in participants’ narratives and their subjective assessment of vaccine passports.

KW - Covid-19

KW - Ulrich Beck

KW - Health

KW - Vaccine passports

KW - Public perceptions

KW - Risk

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85162831939&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/05390184231182056

DO - 10.1177/05390184231182056

M3 - Article

SN - 0539-0184

VL - 62

SP - 233

EP - 258

JO - SOCIAL SCIENCE INFORMATION

JF - SOCIAL SCIENCE INFORMATION

IS - 2

ER -