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The credibility struggle of mRNA vaccine rumors : A communication model to understand the impact of skepticism on public perception

Hammarlin, Mia Marie LU orcid ; Miegel, Fredrik LU ; Kokkinakis, Dimitrios and Stoencheva, Jullietta (2025) In Journal of Public Health Research 14(4).
Abstract

Objectives: This study explores the dynamics of vaccine rumors during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those surrounding messenger RNA vaccines. By employing and developing Hallin’s communication model of credibility spheres, we analyze how controversial ideas regarding vaccine safety gained public attention and challenged established vaccine narratives. Methods: The focal point of the investigation is the viral spread of a biomedical article from Lund University, which intensified existing vaccine rumors shared on Twitter, that, in turn, the authorities had tried to refute. Through a mixed methods analysis of Swedish-language tweets, reflecting a limited segment of the population’s opinions, we highlight persistent skepticism toward... (More)

Objectives: This study explores the dynamics of vaccine rumors during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those surrounding messenger RNA vaccines. By employing and developing Hallin’s communication model of credibility spheres, we analyze how controversial ideas regarding vaccine safety gained public attention and challenged established vaccine narratives. Methods: The focal point of the investigation is the viral spread of a biomedical article from Lund University, which intensified existing vaccine rumors shared on Twitter, that, in turn, the authorities had tried to refute. Through a mixed methods analysis of Swedish-language tweets, reflecting a limited segment of the population’s opinions, we highlight persistent skepticism toward mRNA vaccines, characterized by fears of side effects, rushed development, and distrust in pharmaceutical companies. Results: The findings suggest that vaccine skeptics on Twitter leveraged the Lund medical article to legitimize their concerns, aiming to move their arguments from the Sphere of Deviant Vaccine Propositions into the Sphere of Legitimate Public Vaccine Debate, where they could be debated alongside mainstream views. Conclusion: We interpret the possible impact of the mRNA rumors shared on Twitter as an expression of an increasingly populistic society with a decreasing trust in democratic institutions and authorities, in which the constant flow of content via the internet reinforces the credibility of conspiracy theories.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
COVID-19, Daniel Hallin, mRNA vaccine, public debate, public health communication, social media, Twitter, vaccine communication, vaccine hesitancy, vaccine rumor
in
Journal of Public Health Research
volume
14
issue
4
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:105025580436
ISSN
2279-9028
DOI
10.1177/22799036251407369
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
id
a514092a-3c58-4179-b014-b532342282a0
date added to LUP
2026-02-23 14:32:25
date last changed
2026-02-23 14:33:19
@article{a514092a-3c58-4179-b014-b532342282a0,
  abstract     = {{<p>Objectives: This study explores the dynamics of vaccine rumors during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those surrounding messenger RNA vaccines. By employing and developing Hallin’s communication model of credibility spheres, we analyze how controversial ideas regarding vaccine safety gained public attention and challenged established vaccine narratives. Methods: The focal point of the investigation is the viral spread of a biomedical article from Lund University, which intensified existing vaccine rumors shared on Twitter, that, in turn, the authorities had tried to refute. Through a mixed methods analysis of Swedish-language tweets, reflecting a limited segment of the population’s opinions, we highlight persistent skepticism toward mRNA vaccines, characterized by fears of side effects, rushed development, and distrust in pharmaceutical companies. Results: The findings suggest that vaccine skeptics on Twitter leveraged the Lund medical article to legitimize their concerns, aiming to move their arguments from the Sphere of Deviant Vaccine Propositions into the Sphere of Legitimate Public Vaccine Debate, where they could be debated alongside mainstream views. Conclusion: We interpret the possible impact of the mRNA rumors shared on Twitter as an expression of an increasingly populistic society with a decreasing trust in democratic institutions and authorities, in which the constant flow of content via the internet reinforces the credibility of conspiracy theories.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hammarlin, Mia Marie and Miegel, Fredrik and Kokkinakis, Dimitrios and Stoencheva, Jullietta}},
  issn         = {{2279-9028}},
  keywords     = {{COVID-19; Daniel Hallin; mRNA vaccine; public debate; public health communication; social media; Twitter; vaccine communication; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine rumor}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{4}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Journal of Public Health Research}},
  title        = {{The credibility struggle of mRNA vaccine rumors : A communication model to understand the impact of skepticism on public perception}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/22799036251407369}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/22799036251407369}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}