WHO approves? Relative trust, the WHO, and China's COVID-19 vaccines.

ABSTRACT: This paper aims to answer a general question: whether an international organization (IO) is able to shape public opinion in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic took hold in early 2020, countries across the globe have switched gear from prevention to vaccination. Most had to not only secure a sufficient supply of vaccines, but also to curb vaccine hesitancy among their populations. Can endorsement by an international organization like the World Health Organization (WHO) enhance a vaccine's acceptability? Based on a survey experiment conducted in Taiwan, our study leverages the special relationship between China and Taiwan to show that WHO endorsement can induce acceptance of Chinese vaccines among Taiwanese people. However, the effect is found to be contextual in the se

SUBMITTER: Sheen GC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9684827 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature