Vaccine Hesitancy, Misinformation, and Government Messaging: A Discourse Analysis of Indonesia’s COVID-19 Response

Abstract

This study examines vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, and government messaging during Indonesia’s COVID-19 response through a discourse analysis of public communication and online narratives. As Indonesia faced multiple waves of infection and a large-scale vaccination campaign, public acceptance of vaccines became a key determinant of pandemic management and democratic trust in state institutions. However, vaccine hesitancy was fueled by misinformation, religious concerns, and distrust toward authorities, creating obstacles to achieving public health targets. This research analyzes official government statements, public service announcements, social media campaigns, and online user-generated content to explore how government messaging interacted with misinformation and shaped public perceptions of vaccines. Using qualitative discourse analysis, the study identifies dominant frames, rhetorical strategies, and counter-discourses that emerged during the vaccination rollout. The findings reveal that government messaging frequently emphasized scientific authority, national solidarity, and religious compatibility, but often lacked consistency in addressing misinformation and concerns from diverse communities. Meanwhile, misinformation narratives exploited anxieties related to vaccine safety, conspiracy theories, and religious legitimacy, which were amplified through social media networks and influential public figures. The study highlights how the interplay between official communication and misinformation shaped vaccine hesitancy and public trust. The novelty of this research lies in its integrative analysis of discourse across state and public spheres, linking health communication with political legitimacy in Indonesia’s pandemic context. The contribution of the study is to provide empirical insights into how communication strategies can either mitigate or exacerbate vaccine hesitancy, offering implications for crisis governance and democratic resilience. The study concludes that effective vaccine communication requires transparent, culturally sensitive messaging, active misinformation countermeasures, and inclusive engagement with religious and community leaders to rebuild public confidence in health policies.