Attitudes to the Covid vaccine across US cities

Salt Lake City's strong positivity appears linked to the combined efforts of a general local healthcare, news media and politicians (including Mitt Romney) to keep citizens informed with the progress of various initiatives. The local population, which is approximately 50% Mormon, appear to feel proud that Utah is doing well, and that collective effort is paying off.

https://twitter.com/KUTVMorgan/status/1337224153842118657

Phoenix, on the other hand, stands out across the search as the city where conversation is most dominated by nervous or negative elements. This could stem from the polarized political environment (Arizona had a very tight electoral race, still subject to numerous challenges), as well as Phoenix-based high-profile conservatives making the link between vaccine dispersion and illegal voting, a highly controversial topic in the state.

https://twitter.com/charliekirk11/status/1343341952759164931

Many individuals around Phoenix engaged with pro-vaccine discourse have adopted the language of their opponents, indicating that local vaccine skeptics have assumed a dominant role in setting the boundaries and syntax of public conversation. 

Vaccine attitudes across the top 20 US cities

Across the rest of the country, the variance is not enormous, with positive mentions usually making up between 30-40% of the total vaccine conversation. Traditionally liberal urban areas like Boston, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle skew positive, while more traditionally conservative cities like Oklahoma City and Johnson City (Tennessee) see rates of strong negative mentions getting closer to 50% of the vaccine conversation.   

Across the US cities with the most conversational volume, Boston emerges as a place where conversation leans most towards excitement. This arises in large part from the city's proximity to Harvard, and the presence of influential individuals wishing to celebrate the scientific achievement behind the vaccine.

https://twitter.com/AlejoFraticelli/status/1343391336494473217

Additionally, the Moderna vaccine was created in Massachusetts. The link is not so pronounced as that seen between Oxford and Astrazeneca, but it's clear that people are better disposed to vaccines they view as local.

Nervousness to the vaccine within the US

When looking at how the public talks about using language related to nervousness (e.g "anxious" or "not so sure") we see side effects emerge as the single greatest cause for concern, attaining over double as many mentions as the suggestion that the process may have been unduly rushed.

https://twitter.com/ItsJayeBeauty/status/1343334578728153088

The communities using nervous language can be divided according to their affinity, which follow broadly political lines.

Within left-leaning communities we see nervous or sceptical comment, exhibiting that  focus on side effects and on not wanting to go first. These posts are more likely incorporate elements of self-mockery or sarcasm.

https://twitter.com/TipsyTwiggy/status/1344072722314354688

Nervousness among more conservative communities, meanwhile, is reflected in posts citing drug companies such as Pfizer, alongside numerous references to 'big pharma', as they assume bad-faith on the part of drugs companies.

https://twitter.com/NikolovScience/status/1338303932171337728

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