Oregon State University-Cascades researchers found that messages recognizing vaccine-hesitant adults’ concerns about government and their desire to make their own choices were associated with greater stated willingness to get a COVID-19 shot in two surveys conducted in spring 2021. About 1,170 unvaccinated adults took part in the online surveys, which were conducted as COVID-19 vaccines were becoming widely available in the United States. In the first survey, 49.5% of people who received no special message said they would get vaccinated as soon as possible. That share was 65.6% among respondents shown the message: “You don’t have to trust the government, here are the facts.” In the second survey, 40.7% of the control group said they would get vaccinated as soon as possible, compared with 48.5% of those who saw a liberty-focused message: “COVID and politicians: Don’t tread on me.” The study, published in PLOS One, was led by Christopher Wolsko and Elizabeth Marino, associate professors at OSU-Cascades and co-directors of the Laboratory for the American Conversation. The researchers also tested messages about reuniting with family and personal choice. Those were associated with increases in stated willingness, but smaller ones than the messages focused on government distrust and liberty. Wolsko said the findings should not be treated as a sure-fire tactic for changing someone’s mind. Instead, he said, the messages may help create circumstances in which people are more willing to consider information. He and Marino’s background research suggests distrust can stem from personal experiences, including feeling dismissed or discriminated against in health care settings, rather than simply exposure to misinformation. The results measure what participants said they intended to do, not whether they ultimately received a vaccine. Still, the research offers a practical lesson for public health communication: efforts to build trust may need to take people’s experiences and values seriously, rather than relying on slogans that assume distrust can be overcome by facts alone.