Why ‘inclusive policymaking’ is needed during crises: COVID-19 and social divisions in Austria

During the COVID-19 pandemic, calls for unity from politicians and public health experts contrasted sharply with the rising social divisions between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Through 127 in-depth qualitative interviews conducted at two time points (October 2020 [n = 72], October 2021 [n = 55]) in Austria, a country with high vaccine hesitancy, this paper explores how and why deepening social divisions around vaccination occurred. Our findings emphasise the political determinants of health shaping these divisions at key moments of the pandemic. Respondents pointed to: 1) the divisive nature of public health policymaking during the vaccine rollout, and 2) how this created fertile ground for right-wing populist parties to exploit social divisions for their own gain. We argue that inclusive (i.e., non-divisive) policymaking is essential during crises to enhance public health interventions —and to address and prepare for ongoing and future global crises like disease outbreaks and the climate emergency. • Policy design influences the effectiveness of pandemic and other crisis outcomes. • Divisive and exclusionary policies undermine the success of crisis interventions. • People prefer inclusive public health policies to avoid stigmatisation. • Social divisions hinder effective policy design for pandemic, climate, and other crises. • Right-wing populist parties instrumentalise social divisions for political gain.