Abstract
Young adults in their 20s have shown slower uptake of COVID-19 vaccines relative to older adults, potentially endangering themselves and their communities. Despite this, little vaccine communication has specifically targeted this age group. This study explored why "20-somethings" in British Columbia (BC), Canada delayed COVID-19 vaccination, and how to better encourage their vaccine uptake. From August 2022 to March 2023, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 25 young adults aged 20-29 years living in southwest BC. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Young adults attributed slower vaccine uptake among their demographic to the perceived lower risks to young and healthy individuals not justifying the effort involved in obtaining vaccination and to lack of trust in the vaccines' safety and effectiveness. To address these factors, participants recommended that vaccine communications attract and maintain young adults' attention, take advantage of the affordances of social media platforms, be clear about both individual advantages and social responsibility to vaccinate, and provide a way to take immediate action. Salient messengers were those deemed credible based on education/credentials or familiarity/similarity to the audience. Marginalized sub-communities may be best reached by health messengers who are already trusted community members. Tailoring vaccine communication to a young adult demographic and using trusted and relatable messengers to deliver vaccine information may facilitate swifter uptake of vaccination in settings with high access but lagging uptake.