Institute for Community Studies -
This UK-US collaborative study highlights the importance of tapping into local knowledge and leadership in efforts to improve Covid-19 vaccine take-up. Produced together with the Institute for Community Research and Boston University in the United States, the study explores levels of vaccine engagement in four locations: Oldham and Tower Hamlets in the UK, and the cities of Boston and Hartford in the US. In all four localities, the survey finds the authorities’ ‘top-down’ approach to vaccine distribution and education has been ineffective, and that applying a ‘community engagement approach’ instead –involving community groups and trusted leaders in vaccine distribution and education – can improve take-up rates.