Vaccine Hesitancy and Trust Dynamics

Context

This model simulates how misinformation, trust in public health institutions, and community education efforts dynamically influence vaccine uptake in a population.

Key Variables

Trust in Public Health: Confidence in health authorities.
Misinformation Spread: Rate at which falsehoods propagate.
Community Education: Counter-efforts to strengthen trust.
Vaccine Uptake: Final behavioral outcome driven by trust.

Feedback Loops

Negative Loop: Misinformation → declining trust → lower vaccine uptake.
Positive Loop: Education campaigns → improved trust → increased vaccine uptake.

Policy Relevance

Useful for planning public health communication strategies, understanding challenges in mass immunization drives (polio, COVID-19), and targeting misinformation control efforts.

Region/Application

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy pockets in rural India, routine immunization struggles in tribal belts, global south polio campaign setbacks.