Myths and misunderstandings: how religious Education contributed to vaccine hesitancy among Nigerian Christian students

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to explore: 1) how religious education (RE) contributed to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Christian students in Nigeria; and 2) how RE could be used to counter vaccine hesitancy among students in Nigeria. Although progress has been made in examining different aspects of the coronavirus vaccine hesitancy in Nigeria, literature has yet to focus on how RE contributed to vaccine hesitancy among students in Nigeria. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 students in primary and secondary schools and analysed thematically. Emerged themes included: (1) the apocalypse; (2) dehumanisation by vaccine; (3) 666 (‘the mark of the beast’); (4) shortening of the lifespan; and (5) Separating personal beliefs from class studies. Findings reveal that vaccine hesitancy becomes a product of the type of RE young people receive in school, especially in primary and secondary schools. As a country with one of the lowest rates of vaccinated individuals, the findings point to the need to adjust the perspective that RE has on vaccines.

KEYWORDS:

• Religious education
• students
• vaccine hesitancy
• coronavirus

Acknowledgments

We extend our sincere recognition and gratitude to the individuals who participated as informants, providing interviews regarding their perspectives and experiences of RE on COVID-19 vaccination campaign and hesitancy in Nigeria. Additionally, we acknowledge with appreciation the valuable insights offered by the reviewers.

Compliance with ethical standard

The authors have adhered in full accordance with all ethical principles pertinent to research of this nature. Approval of an ethical nature for the conduct of this study was granted by the Ethics Committee situated at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Disclosure statement

The authors have affirmed the absence of any conceivable conflicts of interest concerning the research, authorship, and/or dissemination of this article.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Favour C. Uroko

Favour C. Uroko is a researcher at the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His research areas lie in biblical studies, theology, religion, and national development.

George C. Nche

George C. Nche is a Global Excellence and Stature (GES) Postdoctoral Research Fellow (PDRF) in the Department of Religion Studies, University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa. He obtained his PhD in 2018 in the field of religion and society from the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. His major research focus is on Religion and Ecology where he explores the intersection between religious beliefs/values/actors and climate change/environmental sustainability. Other research foci are environmental ethics, religion and social issues.