Communication regarding COVID-19 vaccines requires evidence-based strategies. We present findings from a quantitative survey measuring participants’ understanding, trust, and decision-making in response to information conveying low or high uncertainty regarding the vaccine. Communication conveying high uncertainty led to lower self-assessed understanding but higher actual understanding of possible outcomes. Communication conveying low uncertainty increased vaccine acceptance by those who previously opposed vaccines. This indicates that communicating uncertainty may have different effects over time and that adjusting messaging depending on audiences’ prior vaccine attitudes might be important. These findings support the need for further investigation of how uncertainty communication influences vaccine acceptance.

关于 COVID-19 疫苗的交流需要基于证据的策略。我们展示了一项定量调查的结果，该调查衡量了参与者对传达有关疫苗的低或高不确定性的信息的理解、信任和决策。传达高度不确定性的沟通导致自我评估的理解较低，但对可能结果的实际理解较高。传达低不确定性的沟通增加了以前反对疫苗的人对疫苗的接受度。这表明沟通的不确定性可能会随着时间的推移产生不同的影响，并且根据受众先前的疫苗态度调整信息可能很重要。这些发现支持进一步研究不确定性沟通如何影响疫苗接受度的必要性。