VaccineInsights

Talk about COVID-19 vaccines is everywhere as Canadians eagerly look to a post-pandemic world. A key issue on the minds of public health, governments, employers, retailers and the service sector is confidence in the vaccines. The level of vaccination required to reach herd immunity for COVID-19 is unknown, but most research studies estimate this to range between 60% and 75%, given the virus’ specific level of contagiousness. 

To ensure we achieve herd immunity - health communicators, employers, pharmacy chains and others are turning their minds to understanding who has lower confidence in vaccines, what might help overcome the barriers, and how to communicate with these populations.

Environics Analytics (EA) created  VaccineInsights  to support these efforts by providing actionable data and analytics on:

• Who are the populations of interest – based on their beliefs, behaviours or other characteristics?
• What motivates them?
• How can they be reached – TV, radio, out-of-home, print, direct, digital, social media?
• Where are they found?

VaccineInsights is based on data from two authoritative survey sources that were put through EA’s proprietary modelling methods to create estimates for small areas—including health units, neighbourhoods and postal codes—for 67 variables. The database contains attitudes and intentions regarding COVID-19 vaccines in two parts:

Trends, based on data from Caddle, a loyalty-based insights collection platform. National data that track intentions around vaccination and preferred location to be vaccinated were collected during the week of March 15, 2021; these data will be updated either monthly or bi-monthly over the next few months and will be added to VaccineInsights.

Drivers, with vaccine confidence research insights developed by BEworks (a global behavioural economics management consulting firm) were collected through Delvinia’s Asking Canadians panel in December 2020. This study is the first of its kind to identify four “Cognitive Factors” that can be used to understand why specific populations are unsure about vaccination:

• Valuing Personal Beliefs vs. Empirical Evidence
• Scientific Knowledge
• Vaccine Risk Concerns
• Belief in Conspiracy Theories

Analysis of the data reveals some important patterns in confidence – or lack thereof – in the vaccines.

Environics Analytics looked at the Trends data to get a current view (as of March 15, 2021) of those who said “no” or were “unsure” they would get the COVID-19 vaccine. Through the lens of EA’s 67 PRIZM lifestyle segments, a complex picture emerges that necessitates specific, targeted efforts to encourage populations to get vaccinated.

• About 18% of Canadians 16+ are “unsure” they will get the vaccine. 69% say “yes”, while 13% say “no”.
• There are pockets of hesitancy and confidence throughout the Canadian socio-demographic landscape. Understanding where confidence is lower, along with focussed, targeted communications, could improve uptake and lower costs, compared to mass targeting.

While 13% of Canadians on average say they will not get vaccinated, that figure varies greatly depending on which populations we analyze.

• Small-town and rural Canadians are more likely to say they will not be vaccinated. With a couple of exceptions, 15% to 25% in these areas say “no”.

• Lower-income Canadians in and around cities are also more likely to say “no” than their more affluent counterparts - typically 15% to 20%. There is a clear socio-economic divide: we see similar kinds of PRIZM segments with respect to lifestage, ethno-cultural makeup, etc., being less likely to say “no” as you go up the socio-economic scale. The table below illustrates two examples: one with urban, culturally diverse populations, the other with suburban, Francophone families.

Different “unsure” subgroups could possibly be convinced to take the vaccine with appropriately tailored communications. Understanding the Cognitive Factors defined by BEworks and other lifestyle data could inform the strategy. Two examples:

• Certain affluent, suburban populations like 04 Turbo Burbs have average levels of “yes” and are unlikely to answer a hard “no”. However, about 20% of the population wavers with an “unsure” response. Their Cognitive Factors indicate they have stronger Vaccine Risk Concerns and Belief in Conspiracy Theories. A focus on appeasing vaccine concerns while being respectful of their personal beliefs might help them gain confidence. Based on SocialValues data, this population segment tends to want personal control and rejects authority more than the average Canadian, so messaging should not be seen as telling them what to do. They are also family households that are constantly online.

• Another population segment, 64 Midtown Movers, contains many young, lower-income renters, including lots of students and new Canadians. 24% are “unsure” about whether they will get vaccinated, while another 16% respond with a hard “no”. This group may take some convincing: while their Scientific Knowledge is high, they also score high on Favour Personal Beliefs Over Empirical Evidence, Vaccine Risk Concerns and Belief in Conspiracy Theories. From a communications perspective, they pay attention to advertising and brands they trust. Unsurprisingly, they are active online, but they also tend to be involved in their communities through volunteering, presenting a range of communication strategies to consider.

There has been lots of discussion around where to distribute vaccines for both equity and maximum uptake. There are vaccination sites that are booked solid, while appointments go unfilled in others. This is undoubtedly due to the propensity of certain populations to get vaccinated, but various populations also have different preferences on where the vaccine is administered. Nationally, the family doctor is the preferred location (36%), with vaccine clinics next (31%), followed by pharmacies (26%) and hospitals being the least preferred (7%). The inherent socio-demographic patterns of these options show some important insights and implications for location strategies:

• Family Doctor: older Canadians and multicultural suburban families.
• Vaccine Clinics: Francophones and some young urbanites.
• Pharmacies: older, affluent city-dwellers.

We invite you to browse through the interactive maps in this article showing the patterns of vaccine confidence/hesitancy both at a municipal level, and within a sample community.

The diversity of populations, intentions and attitudes around vaccination require a more “surgical” approach to building confidence in COVID-19 vaccines. Ensuring that messaging is effective and communication programs are not wasting precious resources trying to convince those who do not need convincing will help us get through this pandemic faster.

By clicking on dissemination areas in the map below, the data uncovers the PRIZM lifestyle types along with the underlying cognitive factors driving people’s intentions to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Three factors have score ranges from 0 to 100 (low to high), while scientific knowledge has a range of 0 to 8 (low to high).

Discover which of the 67 unique lifestyle types make up a neighbourhood by visiting Environics Analytics  Postal Code PRIZM Lookup. 

About Environics Analytics

 Environics Analytics  (EA) is the premier marketing and analytical services company in North America, helping thousands of customers across every industry sector turn data and analytics into strategy, insights and results. Established in 2003, we specialize in using best-in-class data, analytics expertise and purpose-built software to address key challenges in areas such as consumer profiling and segmentation, multichannel media planning and execution, trade area analysis, merchandising strategies and site location decision-making. Our ENVISION platform provides quick and easy access to our comprehensive and privacy-compliant databases—including the latest mobile movement data—to generate deep consumer and market insight, authoritative reports and detailed maps. Environics Analytics' team of 200 statisticians, modellers, geographers and business strategists help organizations develop data-driven solutions and achieve success along every phase of their analytics journey.

About BEworks

 BEworks  is a research institute, and consulting firm dedicated to the application of behavioral economics (BE) to real-world challenges. Founded in 2010 by world leading behavioral and marketing researchers, the company is a world leader in the application of behavioural economics.

Since the pandemic, the BEworks team has been using its expertise and insights to support the public sector, governments, and business leaders in their attempts to tackle the behavior change issues surrounding COVID-19. Their BEACON Recovery Package was developed with the goal of helping organizations rapidly boost vaccine confidence within their stakeholder communities using strategies backed by scientific and behavioral insights. Deploy targeted communications campaigns with  BEworks  B EACON Solution .

About AskingCanadians/Delvinia

 AskingCanadians  by Delvinia is a consumer research panel and full-service data collection company providing access to Canadian sample. AskingCanadians is dedicated to enabling market researchers to quickly gather and deliver high quality information from Canadian consumers.

About Caddle

Caddle® is the largest mobile-first insights platform that rewards Canadians for sharing data and engaging with brands. With access to rapid insights at every stage of the consumer journey, brands can capture relevant insights for any challenge or opportunity and engage seamlessly with shoppers at every stage of the consumer journey.  Caddle  rewards panel members for actions ranging from video, survey, receipt capture, reviews, and more.

For more information about VaccineInsights or other Environics Analytics data,  please get in touch.