Interview Findings
John Doe
John Doe grew up in the West Bank, a territory claimed by both Israel and Palestine, in a fairly conservative Muslim household. Now a Ph.D, John Doe teaches at a University in central California and considers himself a 7 out of 10 when asked how religious he considers himself to be (10 being the most religious). When asked how much his religion influences his daily life he said, "Being a Muslim, you have to believe everything, because that is what our teachings are about, and [the religion] can't help but influence your daily life."
During our interview, John explained that when he was growing up in the West Bank, they were occupied by Israel, which presented many challenges for those seeking access to vaccines. He spoke of the high poverty levels, economic instability, war, and extremely limited access to healthcare. Often, the United Nations organizations would offer humanitarian aid and support, including vaccines. He remembers his family rushing alongside other desperate families to receive life-altering vaccinations from these groups. Because of these hardships, John had very few of the recommended vaccinations as a child but considers himself lucky to have the ability to vaccinate his own children, who are growing up in the United States. He mentioned that he often checks in with his daughter to make sure that his grandchild is fully vaccinated.
When asked about his overall viewpoint on vaccines, he stated overwhelming support for their existence. He mentioned that he doesn't understand why anyone wouldn't vaccinate, saying, "science doesn't contradict religion, people simply have narrow mindsets." He now also recognizes the importance of the annual flu vaccination, after having been educated on the myth that the flu vaccine gives you the flu. Overall, John does not believe that his religion plays a major factor in his opinion on vaccines, rather he chooses to trust the facts. Though religion is a very important aspect in his life, it is not the only driving factor for the decisions he makes.
"God created disease, but he also created the cure, and vaccines are part of that cure."
Jane Green
Jane Green is a dedicated member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, commonly referred to as the Mormon Church. She is a nurse in Utah who considers herself a 10/10 when asked how religious she is. According to Jane, religion is everywhere in her daily life and she often uses prayers to find many answers. Jane grew up in a very religious household in Utah, and she carries that tradition with her family in her current home. Growing up, she was always vaccinated and continues to vaccinate her children.
Due to Jane's profession as a nurse, she is able to see how both vaccinated and unvaccinated children deal with illness. She often interacts with parents that have chosen to not vaccinate their children and says, "Many that do not vaccinate say, 'everyone else does, so "we" will be fine', which didn't work out so well in this instance" [in reference to the recent measles outbreaks in the United States]. When asked about whether or not she receives her annual flu vaccine, she mentioned that it is required to get a flu shot at the hospital she works at, but she would get one regardless. Jane recognizes the benefits and has seen first-hand what can happen if you are not vaccinated, which has led to her viewpoint on vaccines. Overall, Jane says that while her religion plays a large part in her everyday choices, medical choices, like deciding whether or not to vaccinate, are primarily based on scientific facts.
"I have seen both positives and negatives from both choices, and the positives far outweigh the negatives."
James Smith
James Smith is a pastor in a Baptist church in southwestern Virginia. He considers himself a very committed Christian. When asked how much religion influences his everyday life, he responded, "It is my prayer that all I do is guided by the teachings of Jesus and the Bible." James has been very religious his whole life, as he grew up in an extremely religious household.
James has a large family, four children and three grandchildren, all of whom are vaccinated. When asked about his viewpoint on vaccines, he mentioned that he has both a positive and a negative viewpoint. He said, "my default position is [to] let the expert help me...whether it is a plumber, an airplane pilot, or a doctor." James recognizes the importance of taking the advice of a professional and does so in the case of vaccines. If his doctor says that vaccines are important and safe, he listens to that expert opinion. Negatively, he commented on the fact that there is a family in his parish who are convinced that their grandchild has autism as a result of getting vaccinations, a disproven theory. Additionally, he mentioned that his daughter is a nurse and is not fully convinced that vaccines do not play a role in some of the issues that the kids she works with face. He did not mention exactly how these factors have played a role in his partially negative viewpoint.
When asked about whether or not he preaches about vaccines in his church, Pastor Smith explained that he does not. It doesn't seem like a relevant topic, as he is focused on teaching what he considers himself an expert in, the Bible. Pastor Smith recognizes the importance of making informed decisions on vaccinations and trusts a scientific opinion over a religious one in this case.
"I do not see [preaching about vaccines] relevant for my teaching. I am not an expert."
Jess Appleseed
Jess is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (also known as Quakers) in northeastern Connecticut. She grew up in Pennsylvania, not in a Quaker household, but still in a religious one. Now retired from teaching, she considers herself a 10 out of 10 when asked how religious she is, as she now has more time to dedicate to her religious practice. Jess described her daily life as being guided by the Quaker values and beliefs, and that her religion often affects major life decisions.
Jess describes herself as healthy, happy, and connected to her community. Though, when Jess was a child, many of the vaccines that we take for granted today had not been developed. She mentioned how she remembers the unpleasantness of being ill with German measles and chickenpox, diseases nearly unheard of today due to the effectiveness of vaccines. She mentioned that when she was about 9 or 10 years old, the German measles vaccine was introduced to the public and her whole family went to get vaccinated together. This was a very vivid memory for Jess. Once Jess had her own children, she decided to get her children vaccinated after consulting with her father, who is a doctor. She credits her upbringing and widely regarded research on vaccines as the two major factors that influence her opinion on the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Jess also discussed how she is doing her own research as she considers getting the new shingles vaccine. Overall, Jess’ opinion on vaccines is primarily influenced by science and research, not her religion.
“I was hesitant. My father is a doctor. I consulted with him, he said… ‘the only danger is to contract the disease if the vaccine doesn’t work.’”
Jeff Jameson
Jeff is from southern New Hampshire and is currently a student at the University of Connecticut. He grew up in a Christian household, but he identifies most with several spiritualities: "Buddhism, karma, and astrology." He considers himself to be a 6 out of 10 when asked how religious he is. Jeff does not think about his religion when making everyday life decisions, but his spiritual ideologies are heavily considered when making big life choices.
Jeff has a positive view of vaccines. He tends to trust scientific research and the professional opinions of doctors and other healthcare providers when making choices about vaccinations. His parents are also heavy supporters of vaccines, which led them to their decision to vaccinate Jeff when he was young. Although Jeff does not have dependents, he mentioned that if he did, he would make sure that they are vaccinated. Interestingly, Jeff mentioned how societal pressure is a major factor in his choice to vaccinate. He mentioned that he would have felt put off if he found that his peers were not vaccinated. Jeff described the university community as having a positive viewpoint on vaccines and thought that many would get upset if students found that their friends were not vaccinated for reasons other than medical exceptions. Though he has a positive viewpoint on vaccines, he does not regularly get his annual flu vaccination, a point he did not elaborate on. Overall, Jeff is not an extremely religious person, yet he consults his ideologies when making big decisions. However, vaccines are not one of the aspects that he uses his ideologies to make decisions about. He prefers to focus on the science and proven efficacy of vaccines when making the decision about whether or not to vaccinate himself.
“I don’t really know anyone that is not vaccinated. I feel like it would be weird, and you would be an outsider.”
Jamie Jones
Jamie is a student at the University of Connecticut, originally from Rhode Island. She describes herself as a fairly religious Catholic, a 7 out of 10. She thinks of religion often in her everyday life. When asked exactly how much her religion influences her day to day, she described how she can not go to bed at night without praying and tries to read a bible verse every day. She didn’t grow up in a religious household but rather became more religious after moving from home a few years ago.
When Jamie was a child, she was vaccinated due to her parents having a positive viewpoint on vaccines. She cited knowledge passed down to her from her parents and scientific evidence as being the main reason for her opinion on vaccines. While she does not have dependents, she thinks that every child should be vaccinated based on the scientific evidence supporting it and she plans to vaccinate her children when she has them. Jamie regularly gets her flu shot and has all of her required vaccinations, and does not understand why many people do not. Overall, Jamie has a strong positive viewpoint on vaccines. Although religion influences her everyday life a great deal, her stance on vaccines is not religiously based. She prefers to trust scientific research and medical personnel when being offered a choice about whether or not to be vaccinated.
“I figure whatever happens, it’s because God has a reason.”