Measuring trust in vaccination: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Social Science

Background:

• Vaccine acceptance is contingent upon public trust in vaccines, healthcare systems, and professionals.
• Understanding trust is vital for effective immunization programs and public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review vaccine research literature that explicitly addresses the concept of trust.
• To identify gaps in research regarding trust in vaccination contexts.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of 19,643 articles screened by title/abstract, with 35 included for full-text analysis.
• Analysis of how trust is conceptualized and measured in vaccine research.
• Examination of trust relationships relevant to vaccination.

Main Results:

• Trust is often implicitly referenced (19/35 studies) rather than explicitly defined or discussed.
• Quantitative trust measures were predominantly single-item (9/25 studies), with only two using validated multi-item scales.
• Limited research exists on trust in low and middle-income settings and on how trust changes over time.

Conclusions:

• A disconnect exists between vaccine hesitancy research and broader health trust literature.
• There is a need for more research on trust dynamics in vaccination, particularly in diverse global settings and over time.
• Future research should focus on building resilience to trust-eroding information within health systems.