Vaccine Hesitancy in the Nordic Countries

Bringing together studies from across the Nordic region, this book examines vaccine hesitancy in Scandinavia, investigating the cross-border debates surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines and their presumed side effects through the lens of trust, whether in governments, science, expertise, healthcare systems, journalists or fellow citizens.

Lars Borin is Professor of Natural Language Processing at the Department of Swedish, Multilingualism, Language Technology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. He is the co-editor of Approaches to Measuring Linguistic Differences and Constructicography: Constructicon Development across Languages. Mia-Marie Hammarlin is Reader in Ethnology and Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies in the Department of Communication and Media at Lund University, Sweden. She is the author of Exposed: Living with Scandal, Rumour and Gossip. Dimitrios Kokkinakis is Reader in Language Technology at the Department of Swedish, Multilingualism, Language Technology, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Fredrik Miegel is Reader and Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication Studies in the Department of Communication and Media at Lund University, Sweden.

Introduction: Nordic Tensions in the Wake of the COVID-19 Crisis Part 1: Emotional Perspectives on the COVID-19 Crisis 1. Apollonian and Dionysian Trust in Vaccination: Beyond Reason vs Emotion 2. The Corona Pandemic as a Culture of Fear: Reflections on Moral Panic and Healthcare Scares in the Early 21st Century 3. Satirising Science: Humorous Ambiguity, Trust and Cynicism in COVID-19 Vaccine Engagement Part 2: Vaccine Trust and Distrust among Scandinavian Citizens (Survey Studies) 4. 'I am not an Antivaxxer but ... ': Distrust and Vaccine Hesitancy in Eight European Countries 5. Virus, Vaccination and Risk in Denmark: Dealing with Invisible Danger During a Pandemic 6. Uncertainty at the Needle Point: Understanding Vaccine Hesitancy and Communication in Norway in View of the 2009-2010 Swine Flu Pandemic 7. To Help Ourselves and Others: Trust and Covid-19 Immunisation in Sweden 8. Trust in Vaccines and Vaccine-Related Information in the Finnish Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic Part 3: The Vaccine Debate: A sign of Civic Engagement (Media Studies) 9. Freedom from Repression: A study on Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Norway 10. Vaccine Hesitancy in Finnish Public Discourse Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic 11. 'The Vaccine is the Virus!': Vaccine Rumours Understood as Civic Talk 12. Where the Fringe and Mainstream Meet: Discussions on Vaccine Hesitancy among Public Radio Listeners on Facebook Part 4: Vulnerable Vaccine Groups in Perspective 13. Structural and Cultural Racism made Visible: COVID-19's Warning on the Swedish Welfare Model 14. Asymmetrical and Symmetrical Notion of Culture in the Norwegian Debate about Minorities and COVID-19 15. How to Make it Through Tough Times: Core Values and Trust in a Vaccine Hesitant region in Finland