Evidence Review: Religious Marginalities and COVID Vaccination - Access and Hesitancy

Abstract

Religious minority affiliation or status can play a very important role in influencing people's access to vaccines as well as their willingness to undergo vaccination. Many studies focus on class, ethnicity and geographic location when examining how social inequalities impact vaccination programmes. However, religious marginality is often overlooked. Here we explore how being situated on the margins, on account of religious affiliation, shapes experiences of vaccine access and uptake. The issues addressed are important for COVID-19 vaccination roll out, but also contain lessons for all vaccination programmes and many other preventative health measures.

In this brief, we present key considerations for addressing differentials in access to and willingness to undergo vaccinations that are linked to religious minority status, experiences, authorities or doctrine. We explain why the study and awareness of religious marginality is crucial for the success of vaccination programmes broadly and specifically as they apply to COVID-19 vaccination. We also explore ways in which religious marginality intersects with other identity markers to influence individual and community access to vaccines. Finally, we examine vaccine hesitancy in relation to religious minorities and outline approaches to community health engagement that are socio-religiously sensitive, as well as practical, to enhance vaccination confidence.

L’appartenance ou le statut de minorité religieuse peut jouer un rôle extrêmement important dans l’influence exercée sur l’accès des populations aux vaccins et de leur volonté de se faire vacciner. De nombreuses études sont axées sur la classe sociale, l’origine ethnique et la localisation géographique lorsqu’elles examinent l’impact des inégalités sociales sur les programmes de vaccination. Toutefois, la marginalité religieuse est souvent négligée. Ci-après, nous examinons la manière dont le fait d’être marginalisé, en raison de l’appartenance religieuse, contribue à façonner les expériences d’accès aux vaccins ainsi que leur adoption. Les questions abordées sont essentielles pour le déploiement de la vaccination contre la COVID-19, et contiennent également des leçons inhérentes à tous les programmes de vaccination ainsi que de nombreuses autres mesures de prévention en matière de santé.