Aging & Social Change: Tenth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The demographic changes that occurred in the last century have led to a consistent increase in life expectancy and a growth (in the non-relative and relative sense) of the elderly population. In this context, the increased vulnerability to infection of the elderly makes them a particularly important target population for vaccination. Infectious diseases are indicated as a major barrier to healthy ageing. The vaccination recommendations established in the USA and Europe include the elderly, but compliance with vaccine recommendations is lower for this population, and the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases in terms of morbidity, mortality, and direct and indirect costs remains high. Thus, promoting vaccination among the elderly is a crucial task for healthcare, the social care system, as well as scientists. As previous research shows, age is one of the factors that most influence knowledge about vaccinations, with the young being more informed than the old. The aim of paper is to assess perceptions of vaccination among older Poles, and to present the preferred information channels and main actors who elderly citizens trust. An important goal is also to increase the understanding of the role that vaccinations play in the healthy ageing of this population. In the paper, the empirical results of a citizens consultation with over 100 Poles, conducted within the H2020 CONCISE project (Communication role on perception and beliefs of EU Citizens about Science,) are presented. The aim of the consultations was to understand how individuals perceive scientific communications and make decisions on relevant topics (e.g. vaccines).