Vaccine hesitancy and regulations in the United States: A Foucauldian Perspective

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy represents a critical barrier to equitable herd immunity, disproportionately affecting racial and socioeconomic minorities. This piece argues that state-imposed vaccine mandates reflect a paternalistic model of health governance that inadvertently deepens public resistance. Drawing on Foucauldian biopower theory and empirical trust research, I argue that since citizens consistently distrust national health authorities over personal physicians, top-down mandates risk being perceived as instruments of state control rather than public care. I propose decentralizing health messaging toward independent professional bodies and trusted clinicians, adopting opt-out vaccine frameworks, and directing future research toward community-based delivery models that prioritize autonomy alongside uptake.