Risk Communication Campaigns Research Articles

Co-creating a Mpox Elimination Campaign in the WHO European Region: The Central Role of Affected Communities.

Between May 2022 and September 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe engaged in a collaborative effort with affected communities to address the outbreak of mpox in the region. This concerted endeavor led to the development of a risk communication campaign specifically tailored to address the perceptions and needs of the target audience, thereby contributing to the control and the long-term goal of mpox elimination. Various community engagement interventions were implemented, including the establishment of an informal civil society organizations' working group to provide feedback on the WHO mpox campaign, webinars targeting event organizers, and roundtable discussions with country-level responders. The invaluable feedback garnered from the community was utilized to customize materials and extend outreach to groups that may have been overlooked in the initial response. This successful initiative underscored the immense potential of placing communities at the forefront of emergency response efforts, equipping them with the necessary resources, engagement, and empowerment. This offers 1 model of co-creation that can be applied to health emergencies. It is asserted that the pivotal role played by communities in this response should be recognized as a valuable lesson and incorporated into all emergency responses, ensuring sustained community involvement and empowerment throughout the entire emergency cycle.

Assessment of Knowledge, Perception and Practice Toward Lassa Fever Prevention Among Residents of Akure South Local Government, Ondo State

Lassa fever is an extremely virulent and highly infectious disease endemic in West Africa, including Nigeria. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices against Lassa fever among adult residents of Akure South Local Government in Ondo State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study design was utilized, with data collected from adults in the LGA during a recent outbreak. The study involved systematic random sampling of approximately 300 adults, with data collected via pretested, interviewer-administered questionnaires. The study employed a multi-stage sampling technique and used a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using frequency distribution tables, simple percentages, and bar charts. The findings indicated that only 33.6% of respondents had good knowledge of Lassa fever, while 54.3% practiced good food and environmental hygiene. Most respondents were female, highly literate, and predominantly Yoruba. Despite high awareness, misconceptions about Lassa fever's origin and nature persisted, with many believing it was discovered in Congo or considering it a chronic disease. Effective prevention practices such as proper food storage were acknowledged, aligning with recommendations to avoid contact with Mastomys rodents and maintain cleanliness to prevent rodent infestations. The study concluded that there is a need for improved risk communication, ongoing sensitization, and specific educational campaigns to enhance understanding and preventive behaviors regarding Lassa fever. Further research is recommended to expand these findings across Ondo State and compare risk perceptions in affected and unaffected communities.

Protective behaviors against wildfire smoke in the western United States: An extended protection motivation theory perspective

In recent years, the size and severity of wildfires in the Western United States have been increasing, and there is growing evidence that smoke from wildfires is associated with various negative health consequences. Integrating perceived knowledge and prior experience into the protection motivation theory (PMT), we surveyed a diverse sample (N = 529) in the Western United States to identify sociopsychological factors that explain wildfire smoke-related adaptive behavioral intentions. While people's intention to adapt to wildfire smoke was positively associated with perceived vulnerability and response efficacy, such intention was negatively associated with perceived self-efficacy and response cost. While prior wildfire experience was not associated with coping appraisal, perceived knowledge was positively associated with coping appraisal and intensified the positive association between perceived severity and behavioral intention. Our findings extend PMT approach in the context of wildfire smoke exposure to identify the antecedent role and moderating role of perceived knowledge and prior experience, while also offering implications for risk communication campaigns to encourage wildfire smoke adaptive behaviors among the public.

“Striking the right balance”: tensions in municipal risk communication management for preparedness

PurposeThe aim of the study is to deepen the knowledge about municipalities' risk communication for preparedness. This objective was pursued by analyzing how risk communication functions were organized in municipalities and by scrutinizing tensions in risk communication management.Design/methodology/approachThe study relies on 19 qualitative, semi-structured interviews with communication practitioners in Swedish municipalities. The sample was purposive and included Swedish municipalities varying in number of inhabitants, geographical location, degree of urbanization, size and risk profile.FindingsRisk communication is seen as a sub-field of crisis communication in municipalities' communication management. The task of initiating risk communication activities and campaigns is frequently assigned to the municipalities' safety units or emergency coordinators and is normally not part of communication practitioners' duties. Municipal communication practitioners often face challenges in trying to demonstrate the significance of the practitioners' role in risk communication and other risk-related activities within the municipality. The practitioners' work is characterized by four categories of tensions that are identified as follows: constitutional/legal, organizational, cultural and technological.Practical implicationsThe identified tensions in risk communication are important for reflexive practitioners to consider, and the paper suggests three steps that municipal communication managers can take to handle them.Originality/valueThe study contributes with novel knowledge about municipal communication management in a context of risk communication. The study challenges the existing and dominant risk communication research and offers a more contextual and reflexive understanding of actual risk communication processes in municipalities.

The Dark Side of the (Preparedness) Moon: Why Promoting Public Preparedness Remains Illusive

Introduction:Despite advancements in health behavior theories, understanding the human motivation to engage in disaster preparedness remains elusive. Most attempts at engaging the public in protective behavior rely on risk communication that assumes an information deficit among the people; ergo, risk communicators operate under the assumption that by increasing awareness of risks, sufficient motivation can be generated for preparedness behavior. Yet, this is far from being true.A growing body of literature indicates the prevalence of fear-directed preparedness behavior, which is suboptimal in motivating behavioral change. This should come as no surprise, as using fear appeal tactics in risk communication designed to promote health behaviors have been proven to be primarily a failure.Arguably, the phenomenon of failed risk communication campaigns could be linked to unconscious concerns about death, as proposed in the context of the Terror-Management Theory (TMT). According to TMT, since the experience of death-related thoughts triggers the potential for anxiety, the human psyche responds with motivated avoidance. In other words, the mind utilizes mechanisms that prevent death from becoming salient and remove death-related thoughts from focal attention when they arise. In turn, these defense mechanisms may yield procrastination in adopting protective behavior generated by denial as an adaptive coping mechanism.Preliminary data suggest that procrastination in preparedness behavior until the threat becomes actual and imminent might be explained by TMT; however, explicit evidence for this association is yet to be provided. Should this understanding of the phenomenon be substantiated, it could significantly contribute to expanding our knowledge of the theoretical model behind public preparedness behavior.The presentation will discuss the state-of-the-art research currently being done by the author to support the above claims. It will provide preliminary findings and will call the community to reconsider the current paradigm of disaster risk reduction and risk communication.Method:n/aResults:n/aConclusion:n/a

When We Don't Want to Know More: Information Sufficiency and The Case Of Swedish Flood Risks

This study investigates the phenomenon of information (in)sufficiency in the context of flood risks. Individuals’ perception of how much risk information they need is a major trigger and driver of information-seeking behavior, and therefore it is an important part of creating effective preventive risk-communication campaigns. To understand factors that contribute to individuals’ sense of information (in)sufficiency, the roles played by prior experiences of floods and general risk sensitivity were analyzed using survey data from residents in flood-risk zones. The findings highlight that every third respondent reported a state of information sufficiency. Residents with prior experience evaluate their information sufficiency level based on their perception of consequences of future floods. But it is general risk sensitivity that best explains need for more information.

Exploring the best communication channels to inform a local population about volcanic risk

Which communication channels should be prioritized to make populations aware of local volcanic risks? In the internet age, is it still necessary to privilege the classic channels (radio, television, posters), or are the new communication channels (websites, social media) sufficient? Using an interview-based survey of a population in Peru (n = 76) who have been the object of several volcanic risk communication campaigns using posters, websites, social media and traditional media, we compare the recall (memorization) and perception of these previous campaigns. Two main empirical results emerge from the interviews: 1) Web- sites are proving to be particularly effective communication channels in this context, in stark contrast to the low impact of the printed press; 2) We find that the the same communication campaigns are perceived differently by residents depending on the neighborhood in which they live. This second empirical result advocates for a much more territory-based and localized strategy, where the district by district socio-cultural and geological environment form the foundations for communication strategies.

The role of social value orientation in modulating vaccine uptake in the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

COVID-19 vaccination is the only pharmaceutical measure available to control the pandemic and move past the current crisis. As such, the Maldives, a small island country, invested heavily on securing and vaccinating the eligible population through an intensive risk communication campaign to create awareness on vaccination benefits. This paper reports on the vaccine coverage after a year of COVID-19 vaccine being introduced into the country, based on data obtained from the Values in Crisis Survey – Wave Two among Maldivian adults (n = 497). The findings show a vaccine coverage of 94%, with only 2.2% of the respondents indicating they will not get vaccinated. No significant differences were observed by age, gender, income earning, educational status or residential area. No significant relationship was observed in vaccine behaviour and confidence in government, health sector and experts. Social value orientations, particularly conservation and self-transcendence value orientations determined positive vaccine behaviour (rs = 0.180, p < 0.01 and 0.136 p < 0.01 respectively), yet conservation was the only predictor that contributed significantly to the regression model (B = 0.158, p < 0.01). The findings indicate that, despite the uncertainties around COVID-19 vaccinations, the prosocial value orientations were instrumental in achieving a high COVID-19 vaccine coverage. Further theoretical and conceptual exploration of vaccine behaviour in crisis situations is needed to inform future pandemic situations. The vaccination rollout and behaviour change strategies also need an examination of social value orientations in order to achieve a high coverage and sustain pro-vaccine behaviour post-pandemic.

Appealing to Individual Fears or Social Norms: How Can the Public Be Persuaded to Accept COVID-19 Vaccination through Risk Communication?

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, improving the public's understanding of the increased efficacy and safety of the COVID-19 vaccines through scientific risk communication campaigns, promoting the public's acceptance and willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccines, and forming collective actions at the social level will deeply impact on the effect of COVID-19 prevention in various countries, which is also a key factor that governments need to address urgently. Previous research on risk communication has mostly focused on microscopic perspectives of how to stimulate individual self-protection behaviors by awakening threat and efficacy perceptions; however, a lack of observation of social collective actions means there is a risk of failure regarding COVID-19 epidemic reduction and prevention. In this regard, this study was based on the issue of vaccination in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic through a highly regulated and controlled research experiment in China (n = 165), which was designed to examine the impact of two risk communication frameworks, appealing to individual fears and appealing to social norms, on the public's acceptance and recommendations of COVID-19 vaccines, thus outlining the path of action from individual protection to collective epidemic prevention. Both the "fear appeals" framework and the "social norms" framework were found to have a positive effect on the Chinese public's vaccination acceptance. Specifically, social norms information may increase vaccination acceptance by enhancing the public's perceptions of social responsibility, while fear appeals information may reduce their perceptions of threat and social pressure to get the vaccine. Female and highly educated groups were more likely to refuse to recommend vaccination after reading the risk communication information. These results can be a useful supplement to the theory and practice of risk communication.

Who Said What: A Multi-Country Content Analysis of European Health Organisations' COVID-19 Social Media Communication.

Objectives: As a risk communication tool, social media was mobilised at an unprecedented level during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined health authorities’ risk communication on social media in response to the pandemic in 2020. Methods: We analysed 1,633 COVID-19-related posts from 15 social media accounts managed by official health authorities in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Results: The rate at which the authorities posted about COVID-19 on social media fluctuated throughout 2020. Each account’s posting frequency peaked between March and May 2020, before dropping considerably during the summer. The messages that the organisations focused on also varied throughout the year but covered most risk communication guidelines. Yet, our analysis highlighted themes that were communicated infrequently, such as long COVID or exercising during the pandemic. Conclusion: With more individuals now following health authorities on social media, platforms such as Instagram hold great potential for future risk communication campaigns and strategies.

Examining “digital” vulnerability to flooding among subsidized housing residents in Florida

Disaster management agencies have increasingly adopted online tools (e.g., social media platforms) for risk messaging, but the disparities in acquiring and comprehending risk information disseminated in online channels may influence the adoption of risk mitigation actions and exacerbate the rooted vulnerability of marginalized populations. However, this “digital vulnerability” has rarely been studied by extant studies. We thereby investigated the relations between digital capabilities, indicated by a series of skills to utilize the Internet and social media channels, risk information acquisition, and mitigation behaviors. We distributed surveys to 200 subsidized housing residents living in flood-prone areas, who are mostly low-income and lack housing options in private markets, and performed various descriptive and statistical analyses. The results showed the contributive role of social media in disseminating risk information and promoting risk mitigation actions. Particularly, we found that risk-aware residents with good digital skills tend to harness social media platforms as additional information channels and implement preventive actions (e.g., purchasing flood insurance and storing emergency supplies) to mitigate flood risks. The research recommends the integration of risk awareness campaigns with digital literacy training. It also encourages a more localized and tailored risk communication campaign focusing on flood-vulnerable communities suffering from the digital divide.

Mapping seismic risk awareness among construction stakeholders: The case of Iringa (Tanzania)

To cope with earthquakes, resistant housing is crucial. Too often essential construction techniques are not applied in the most vulnerable contexts. Local construction stakeholders have a major responsibility in reducing vulnerability of the built environment. This exploratory study investigates current seismic risk awareness in the region of Iringa (Tanzania) and discusses its implications for disaster resilience policy and practice. This medium seismic hazard risk area presents an interesting case-study to map risk awareness of key construction stakeholders. Our analysis covers seismic risk maps, governmental policy documentation and stakeholder awareness data. Data collection across 17 villages includes a poll with 21 mason and 15 school principals, and 5 interviews with a district engineer, a contractor, an architect and two homeowners. This sample illustrates the severe lack of risk awareness in Iringa. Our evidence reveals limited risk awareness across all community-based stakeholders, including absent risk awareness of local masons. High risk awareness was found in national governmental policy documents. We conclude that local seismic risk awareness is influenced by: (i) absent structural building codes that consider seismic forces, (ii) lack of risk communication campaigns by the government or NGOs, (iii) and limited freedom of speech linked to natural hazards. Our findings advocate for enhancement of risk awareness by: (i) development of a Tanzanian structural building code with recommendations for seismic resistance, (ii) better risk communication strategies to bridge the knowledge gap between governmental departments and communities, and (iii) exclusion of natural hazards from the list of prohibited communication topics in legislation.

Public Perceptions on Human Health Risks of Climate Change in Cyprus: 2018 and 2021 Survey Results

Understanding public perceptions on the health impacts of climate change will help to better address planetary health challenges. This study aimed to assess differences in perceptions in the Cypriot population regarding climate-related health risks, information sources used, and self-assessed health status over a three-year period, along with the relationship between sociodemographics and perceptions on climate-related health risks. Two cross-sectional surveys on environmental health risks and climate change, information sources, and self-assessed health were conducted in July–December 2018 (n = 185) and August–September 2021 (n = 202) among adults living in Cyprus. A descriptive analysis of the survey responses was conducted. Between-survey and within-survey associations were examined among environmental and health risk perceptions and stratified by sociodemographics (age, sex, educational level) using chi-square tests. The perceived views on most questions about environmental health risks and climate change were not different between the two surveys (p &gt; 0.05). With environmental factors in mind, such as climate change, pollution, and toxic waste, most respondents (&gt;72%) considered that health issues such as asthma, cancer, obesity, type II diabetes, and high blood pressure would occur much more often or somewhat more often in the next 10 years. In both surveys, the most popular sources of information about environmental health risks were social media/the internet, followed by TV news and TV films and documentaries. Notable differences in several perceptions on climate-related health risks were observed between females and males, while age and educational level did not influence most perceptions. Women were more likely than men to report that environmental factors such as temperature rise, extreme weather events, and air pollution will be extremely influenced by climate change (p &lt; 0.05). The study survey populations recognized the important linkages between climate change and human health, including their drivers. Sex was an important factor for differentiated perceptions on environmental health risks and climate change. Such survey results on perceptions about climate change and their impact on population health can be used to inform public awareness and risk communication campaigns.

The impact of social media on risk perceptions during COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

BackgroundSocial media is considered a critical source for seeking health information, especially during outbreaks. During the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, social media played an important role in disseminating information. However, it has been a source of misinformation in many communities throughout the pandemic. Whether this disseminated information has a positive or negative impact, individuals' risk perceptions of disease are influenced. It is important to explore factors that build public behaviors and their adaptation of risk reduction measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the role of social media and its impact on the risk perceptions of the COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study, and participants were recruited using different social media outlets between August to October 2020. The survey was delivered through Qualtrics platform targeting Saudi Arabian residents over the age of 18 years old. The questionnaire was delivered in English and Arabic. A convenience sampling was used to recruit participants to the study. The survey link was posted on several social media platforms.ResultsA total of 2,680 respondents completed the online survey. The results showed that male gender, individuals earning 4,000–12,000 SAR, and employed had positive and significant relationships with risk perception compared to their counterparts (β: 0.044, p-value: 0.035 and β: 0.051, p-value: 0.041, β: 0.108 p-value: < 0.001, β: 0.119 p-value: < 0.001), respectively. In second block, individuals exposed to social media had higher risk perception (β: 0.096, p-value < 0.001). In third block, self-efficacy was significantly but negatively associated with risk perception, indicating individuals who were self-efficient were less likely to perceive risk for the COVID-19 (β: −0.096, p-value < 0.001). There was no interactive effect of social media and self-efficacy on risk perception.ConclusionThe current study results show that social media exposure to the COVID-19 information has a positive impact in shaping an individuals' risk perception. The study also suggests that there is a need for public officials and policymakers to develop effective communication strategies through risk communication campaigns targeted at women, individuals with lower socioeconomic status, and those who are single as they showed a negative relationship with risk perception.

Updated International Society of Geriatric Oncology COVID-19 working group recommendations on COVID-19 vaccination among older adults with cancer

Updated International Society of Geriatric Oncology COVID-19 working group recommendations on COVID-19 vaccination among older adults with cancer

Direct and indirect pathways for the spread of African swine fever and other porcine infectious diseases: An application of the mental models approach.

In this study, we investigated the occurrence of direct and indirect infectious disease transmission pathways among pig farms in Switzerland, as well as their specific relevance for the spread of African swine fever, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), and enzootic pneumonia. Data were collected using an adapted mental models approach, involving initial interviews with experts in the field of pig health and logistics, semi-structured interviews with pig farmers, and a final expert workshop, during which all identified pathways were graded by their predicted frequency of occurrence, their likelihood of spread of the three diseases of interest, and their overall relevance considering both parameters. As many as 24 disease pathways were identified in four areas: pig trade, farmer encounters, external collaborators, and environmental or other pathways. Two thirds of the pathways were expected to occur with moderate-to-high frequency. While both direct and indirect pig trade transmission routes were highly relevant for the spread of the three pathogens, pathways from the remaining areas were especially important for PRRS due to higher spread potential via aerosols and fomites. In addition, we identified factors modifying the relevance of disease pathways, such as farm production type and affiliation with trader companies. During the interviews, we found varying levels of risk perception among farmers concerning some of the pathways, which affected adherence to biosecurity measures and were often linked to the degree of trust that farmers had towards their colleagues and external collaborators. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating indirect disease pathways into existing surveillance and control strategies and in disease modelling efforts. We also propose that biosecurity training aimed at professionals and risk communication campaigns targeting farmers should be considered to mitigate the risk of disease spread through the identified pathways.

Raw fish consumption in Portugal: A survey on trends in consumption and consumer characteristics

Portugal has one of the highest levels of fish consumption globally. Raw or lightly processed fish is not part of the traditional diet but the rise in popularity of such dishes worldwide means that consumption of this type of food is likely to increase in Portugal. Anisakiosis is a food-borne zoonotic disease associated with consumption of raw or undercooked fish. An increase in reported incidence of the disease has occurred in recent decades. Our survey aimed to gather data on raw fish consumption in Portugal, looking at the sociodemographic and health characteristics of the individuals who consume raw fish (n = 421), as well as the volume of raw fish consumed, species of fish consumed raw and types of raw fish dishes consumed. The volume of raw fish consumed by our survey population was 6.3 kg per person annually. It accounted for approximately 10% of all fish consumed. Salmon or trout, tuna and cod were the species of fish most frequently consumed raw and the most popular raw fish dishes were sushi or sashimi and fish spiced with vinegar and lemon or marinated. Although the number of respondents with seafood allergies only accounted for 2.6% of the study population, they were responsible for almost 7% of the total volume of raw fish consumed. Based on the volume and species of raw fish consumed, anisakiosis does pose a risk to the Portuguese population, but it would appear to be quite small. Data on Anisakis spp. prevalence are limited for some of the species of fish consumed raw and further studies on these are warranted to better characterise the disease risk in the population studied. In addition, improved risk communication and consumer education campaigns should be implemented to minimize the risk to the Portuguese population from anisakiosis.

Towards a participatory approach to risk communication: the case of contaminants and Inuit health

Indigenous populations residing in the Arctic commonly rely on country foods for nutritional, spiritual and cultural benefits. However, some food sources have become contaminated with heavy metals or persistent organic pollutants. As a result of these contaminants, it is critical that risk communicators develop effective and culturally appropriate health messages about the risks and benefits of eating country foods. To address this challenge in the Canadian Inuit region of Nunavik, a working group was formed to advance risk management, determine health advisories, and communicate recommendations about local country foods. The Nunavik Child Development Study (NCDS) Communications Working Group included local hunters, educators, health care professionals, researchers, and communicators, among others. In-depth interviews with members of the NCDS Communications Working Group were completed to provide insight into the risk management approach and how communication messages and materials were developed and delivered. Study results reveal the importance of including members of the Inuit population affected by the risk in the design and dissemination of communication material. In addition, researchers and healthcare professionals were able to: (1) access important local knowledge; (2) better understand the perceptions of the populations; and (3) assess behaviors that contributed to contaminant exposure. By incorporating multiple perspectives and including members of the population in the affected region in the decision-making process, there was greater consensus in risk management and communication design. We discuss the benefits and challenges of utilizing an approach that includes participatory elements, and how lessons from this case can contribute to participatory risk communication literature more broadly. This study ultimately provides insight into how using elements of a participatory approaches to risk management and communication – that considers different experiences, knowledges, and skills – can result in potentially more culturally relevant health advisories and risk communication campaigns.

Consumers across cultures: a comparative study about consumers’ role in food safety-related academic literature

PurposeThe research aims at scrutinising food safety as a global concept and problem that has numerous cross-cultural aspects reflecting the diversity of consumption patterns and the culturally differing role of the consumer as well as mirroring the heterogeneity of socio-economic environment.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the role of consumer in food safety-related academic literature is investigated in seven languages (countries) including American English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and Russian from a multidisciplinary, cross-cultural perspective.FindingsWith the aid of seven linguistic corpora built from the above mentioned languages, the research reveals noteworthy differences in the consumer-focused approach.Research limitations/implicationsThe study could have benefited from the inclusion of further languages (i.e. Portuguese, Spanish, Hindi etc.), the authors' lack of reliable language skills outside of the covered domain had to be taken into account. Further to that, the analysis conducted is based on a static observation, while food safety-related consumer science is developing quickly. Therefore, a dynamic analysis of consumer roles would most certainly yield in further salient outcome.Practical implicationsFood safety can be regarded in many ways–this is reflected in different national legislations, dissimilar country-level risk communication patterns as well as different perception of basic notions of food safety. It has not yet been extensively analysed, however, how different languages use the notion of food safety or consumer, which activities and which characteristics are most connected to these notions, and how food safety-related topics and the focus of scientific discourse in different languages differ from each other.Social implicationsPractical implications of the research results also include preparatory activities for food safety risk communication campaigns. In this field, the cultural aspects of food safety are as important as scientific risk assessment. The tools presented in this paper help a quick and comprehensive analysis of linguistic corpora, which could be used either in academic or general literature resources, even press releases. The results also call attention to the culture-driven perspectives of food safety; these new insights can be applied by researchers to review food safety literature more exhaustively considering the cultural context. Future elaboration of the topic (e.g. by introducing a time factor that would enable a dynamic analysis) can further enhance the utility value of similar studies.Originality/valueThe novelty of the article lies in the unique application of corpus linguistic methods with the aim of investigating the area, the trends and phenomena of food safety-related science. This study combines the achievements of food safety-related consumer science with corpus linguistic methods.

COVID-19 Vaccine Early Skepticism, Misinformation and Informational Needs among Essential Workers in the USA.

This study presents the results of a survey of 1591 hesitant U.S. essential workers, conducted over Pollfish in December 2020 when they were the only group eligible for the vaccine, aiming to describe their concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccine safety, effectiveness and distribution policies. We computed frequencies using the SAS software for each answer, using chi-squared statistics and Cochran–Armitage trend tests to determine how informational needs differ by age, gender, level of education, race, source of COVID-19 information and levels of vaccine acceptance. The results of this study show that freedom of choice, equal access to the vaccine and being able to live a life with no restrictions once vaccinated were important concerns since the early days of the distribution campaign, with 53% (836/1591), 42% (669/1591) and 35% (559/1591) of hesitant respondents, respectively, indicating they would be more likely to receive the COVID-19 vaccine if they felt these issues were satisfactorily addressed. Early risk communication and immunization campaign strategies should address not only the reported efficacy and safety of new vaccines, but, as equally important, the population’s perceptions and beliefs regarding personal choice, effectiveness and adverse consequences.