Discourse Analysis of Health Risk Perceptions. Understanding Public Debates on Childhood Vaccination
Discourse Analysis of Health Risk Perceptions. Understanding Public Debates on Childhood Vaccination

Summary/Abstract: Childhood vaccination has become one of the most intenselydiscussed topics not alone in Romania but other European countries as well.Mass media articles, personal e xperiences claiming that vaccines have side eff ectsand can even lead to autism have generated various responses among parentsand determined various perceptions and assessments of the health risks. Certaingroups have emerged in the middle of these confrontational debates: there arethose who resist vaccination, advocating that they infl ict suff erance on children.Yet others who refuse vaccines because they fear the unknown, along with thosewho have not made a decision and still search for medical opinion, and thosewho insist upon gathering more information before deciding whether to get theirchildren immunized etc. Each of these groups perceives and defi nes the risk ina diff erent way. A discourse analysis of the comments and posts identifi ed onvarious online platforms from Romania revealed the fact that the individuals whoresist vaccination reframe the risk as unknown, while calling for a more informeddecision from parents. These individuals do not bring any logical, practical, orscientifi c argument in order to support their position. Some of them even considerthat a mandatory vaccination policy is a characteristic of a totalitarian state thusinfringing upon the right of the population to free choice. Another result of ouranalysis is the fact that the majority of the online debaters tend to perceive therisk of non-vaccination as bigger than the one of vaccination.

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