How to convince the undecided – communication with the elderly and attitudes towards vaccination COVID-19

The pandemic has had its toll on the socio-economic life of most people. Governments and international organizations face new challenges in a situation of uncertainty. The next step in the fight against the threat of COVID-19 is the mass vaccination procedure. Social campaigns are designed to encourage as many people as possible to join the vaccination plan  Achieving population resilience requires a significant commitment of organizational, financial and communication resources. Older people constitute a priority group in the vaccination system in Poland. However, despite the measures taken, there remains a significant share of seniors who remain reluctant to vaccination. The government is taking further pro-turnout measures targeted at the elderly. The shortcomings of the existing strategies should be eliminated for the benefit of society. This article is an attempt to summarize the research conducted so far in the field of the needs and possibilities of communication with the elderly, attitudes towards vaccinations and sources of influence on making purchasing decisions of seniors.

Keywords: vaccination, COVID-19, pandemic, elderly, social communication.

Streszczenie
Pandemia wywarła swoje piętno na życiu społeczno-gospodarczym większości osób. Rządy i organizacje międzynarodowe podejmują nowe wyzwania w sytuacji niepewności. Kolejnym etapem walki z zagrożeniem, wynikającym z COVID-19, jest procedura masowych szczepień. Kampanie społeczne mają na celu zachęcenie jak większej liczby osób do przystąpienia do planu szczepień. Osiągnięcie odporności populacyjnej wymaga znacznego zaangażowania środków o charakterze organizacyjnym, finansowym i komunikacyjnym. Osoby starsze stanowią grupę priorytetowo traktowaną w systemie szczepień w Polsce. Jednakże, mimo podjętych działań, znaczna liczba seniorów, pozostaje niechętnie nastawiona do zaszczepienia się. Rząd podejmuje kolejne działania profrekwencyjne nakierowane na osoby starsze. Mankamenty dotychczasowych strategii powinny zostać wyeliminowane dla dobra społecznego. Artykuł stanowi próbę podsumowania dotychczasowych badań z zakresu potrzeb i możliwości komunikacji z osobami starszymi, postaw wobec szczepień oraz źródeł wpływu na podejmowanie decyzji nabywczych seniorów.

The pandemic has had its toll on the socio-economic life of most people. Governments and international organizations face new challenges in a situation of uncertainty. The next step in the fight against the threat of COVID-19 is the mass vaccination procedure. Social campaigns are designed to encourage as many people as possible to join the vaccination plan  Achieving population resilience requires a significant commitment of organizational, financial and communication resources. Older people constitute a priority group in the vaccination system in Poland. However, despite the measures taken, there remains a significant share of seniors who remain reluctant to vaccination. The government is taking further pro-turnout measures targeted at the elderly. The shortcomings of the existing strategies should be eliminated for the benefit of society. This article is an attempt to summarize the research conducted so far in the field of the needs and possibilities of communication with the elderly, attitudes towards vaccinations and sources of influence on making purchasing decisions of seniors.