The Daily

Rural Tennessee’s Vaccine Hesitators

Episode Summary

Vaccine hesitancy is a major reason that many experts now fear the United States will struggle to attain herd immunity against the coronavirus. And while many initially hesitant demographics have become more open to vaccinations, one group is shifting much less: white Republican evangelical Christians, who tend to live in rural communities. Here’s what that looks like in Greeneville, Tenn. Guest: Jan Hoffman, a reporter covering behavioral health and health law for The New York Times.

Episode Notes

Vaccine hesitancy is a major reason that many experts now fear the United States will struggle to attain herd immunity against the coronavirus.

And while many initially hesitant demographics have become more open to vaccinations, one group is shifting much less: white Republican evangelical Christians, who tend to live in rural communities.

Here’s what that looks like in Greeneville, Tenn.

Guest: Jan Hoffman, a reporter covering behavioral health and health law for The New York Times.  

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Background reading: 

• Reluctance to get vaccinated is widespread in white, Republican communities like this one in Appalachia. But it’s far more complicated than just a partisan divide. Read Jan’s reporting here. 

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.