Cognitive Dissonance Induction to Decrease Vaccine Hesitancy Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Lebanon faced challenges in encouraging Syrian refugees to register to get vaccinated. Some of the reasons for the refugees’ hesitancy included behavioral factors, such as fear of side effects and doubts about effectiveness. Nudge Lebanon collaborated with UNHCR and other stakeholders to better understand and tackle these behavioral barriers deterring refugees from getting vaccinated.

A randomized controlled trial involving 1,569 unvaccinated Syrian refugee respondents was conducted. The trial introduced dissonance induction to test its impact on vaccine hesitancy, resulting in a significant reduction. These findings underscore the need to consider behavioral aspects in delivering public health services to refugees.


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