Effect of Informational Videos on Vaccine Perceptions Among Unvaccinated Individuals: A Randomized Educational Intervention

Introduction By 2022, COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the US had plateaued. We tested whether unvaccinated individuals in 2022 were wilfully avoiding vaccine information, or if they would voluntarily accept vaccine education. Methods In this double-blind, parallel, randomised educational study, we recruited US residents to participate in an online survey-experiment between January 27, 2022 and February 25, 2022. Subjects were first screened for vaccination status. Unvaccinated individuals were then separately invited into the survey. We developed video-based informational interventions that provide detailed, yet easy-to-grasp, explanations of mRNA vaccine technology, development, testing and safety protocols, and potential side effects. Participants were randomised into three groups: (1) a control group who watched an unrelated placebo video, (2) a “video-optional” group for whom every informational video was optional, and (3) a “video-required” group for whom the vaccine-technology video was mandatory, but all other videos were optional. Primary endpoints were future COVID-19 vaccine uptake intentions, COVID-19 vaccine efficacy beliefs, and COVID-19 vaccine side-effect concerns (all measured on a 100-point scale). Secondary endpoints measured information-seeking behaviour and trust in health care professionals. The educational study was registered on ISRCTN (ISRCTN98065390), and pre-registered on the AEA RCT registry (AEARCTR0008909).Results Relative to control (3,014 participants), the video-optional group (1,320 participants) exhibited a 0.09 standard deviation (95% CI: 0.02-0.15) improvement in COVID-19 vaccine intentions, a 0.10 SD (95% CI: 0.03-0.17) improvement in COVID-19 vaccine-efficacy beliefs, and a 0.14 SD (95% CI: 0.07-0.21) improvement in COVID-19 side-effect concerns. The video-required group (2,756 participants) yielded improvements, relative to control, of 0.07, 0.18, and 0.08 SDs in the respective categories (95% CIs: 0.02-0.12, 0.13-0.23, 0.03-0.13). 55-60% of the participants in both treatment groups watched optional videos.Conclusions Wilful avoidance of vaccine information does not appear to explain entrenched vaccine hesitancy. Impartial and detailed information may be an effective communication and policy tool.