How to deal with the anti-vaxxer in your life

Tempting as it may be, trolling anti-vaxxers and pointing out their discredited views put children’s lives at risk is counter-productive. Here’s how we should be tackling them, writes Shevonne Hunt.

There’s nothing like an anti-vaccination stance to get the internet into a hot mess.

“This is the height of rich privilege. D***s”

The quote above was just one of 311 comments on Facebook after Shanelle Cartwright, the wife of NRL star Bryce Cartwright, explained why she has chosen not to vaccinate her kids.

People were outraged, and rightly so. Vaccination is an emotive issue that concerns anyone with children. But when has yelling at people ever been the path to changing minds?

I’ve been forced to think about this after a family friend said he was considering not vaccinating his unborn baby.

My heart sank. I really like this guy. He and his partner are two of the kindest, funny and interesting people I know. But suddenly he had less credibility. How could I trust what he says about anything if he believes the rubbish anti-vaccine activists spout?

RELATED: NRL star Bryce Cartwright and his wife Shanelle are anti-vaxxers

Bryce Cartwright with partner Shanelle Cartwright and son Koa. The couple have said they won’t vaccinate their children.

It’s like finding out you’re friends with someone who denies climate change, despite the evidence of experts. The science is well and truly in: immunising against bacterial and viral diseases saves lives. It also creates herd immunity, because when more people are vaccinated, it’s less likely disease will spread, thus protecting people with vulnerable or compromised immune systems. When people refuse to vaccinate their children, our herd immunity, or protection against diseases that have killed and maimed in the past, becomes weaker.

But it’s one thing to spew self-righteous rage at anti-vaxxers online, and another thing entirely when faced with someone you like and respect expressing an anti-vaccine stance.

RELATED: My anti-vax mother-in-law from hell

I had to stop and ask myself: Could I really discredit everything I knew about this friend because of his questioning about vaccinations? And if I really believe in the good of vaccination, shouldn’t I be trying to change his mind?

Julie Leask, a behavioural scientist from the University of Sydney, says demonising people who are unsure about vaccinations only pushes them further towards embracing the anti-vaccination rhetoric. Leask, who also advises the World Health Organisation on improving vaccination programs, says it’s better to listen before making any comments.

“Society encourages people to take responsibility for their health. I would be affirming that person’s care and vigilance; listening carefully, asking more questions until I jumped in, then encouraging them to be super critical of the information they get.”

Sharyn Pitman with her baby Amie, who died of whooping cough 19 years ago. She wants to remind people of the importance of immunising children. Picture: Robert Pozo/AAP

After all, regardless of where you stand on vaccination, anyone with skin in the fight is there because they love their kids. My friend is worried because he loves his unborn baby. And if I really care about him, his partner and their baby on the way, then I owe it to them to hear him out with his concerns.

Then I’m in a better position to placate his fears. With evidence and experience. Not telling him he’s stupid, or selfish.

Leask was also a co-author of a recent study by Flinders University, Understanding the perceived logic of care by vaccine-hesitant and vaccine-refusing parents, which backs this approach. The research found that listening to (without validating) concerns of those who aren’t keen on vaccinating was key to engaging with them further, and could potentially provide a pathway for having an impact on the anti-vaccination mindset at a policy level.

Leask also says it’s a good idea to ask if they’re keen to hear about your own choices, and how those choices have played out for you and your family.

“Some studies suggest that helping people to weigh the pros and cons of vaccinating versus not vaccinating can help. Some people aren’t aware of the consequences of not vaccinating, including an increased risk of disease for their child, loss of family assistance payments, and no access to childcare in some states.”

The same considerate tactics should be used online. There’s no doubt many people commenting on Shanelle’s decision not to vaccinate were motivated by a genuine frustration and anger. They’re unlikely to be your average, everyday troll sitting at home waiting to beat up on someone online. They worry about their own children, as well as Shanelle’s.

But it could help temper the rage if you consider the facts. According to Leask, vaccination rates in Australia are actually relatively high. Almost 95 per cent of all five-year-olds are vaccinated.

It’s estimated only 2 per cent of children are not vaccinated because of parental decisions. The other children who miss vaccinations are due to parents forgetting appointments, lack of transport and other problems associated with access — not because they think they are harmful.

So, people like Shanelle, while essentially misguided about the danger of vaccinations, are not converting the majority to her view.

When faced with a determined anti-vaxxer online, Leask says it may be preferable to not engage at all. “If you are online and they are clearly fixed in their negative views, the best option may be to move on and make better use of your time — email a friend, call your mother, do your tax — whatever. And don’t feed the trolls — it energises them.”

Furiously tapping out a response to an anti-vaxxer might make you feel better for the time it takes to write your comment, but it’s not going to change anyone’s mind. And if you genuinely care about children, then changing their parents’ minds should be your ultimate goal.

Yelling, criticising and trolling them online is not going to do that.

@shevonnehunt