Modelling Collective Action in Public Health Crises: A Socio-Mathematical Approach

Abstract

Background and Aims: Vaccine reluctance, which is especially widespread in the context of the
COVID-19 pandemic, is not only a psychological trait but also a complex socio-political process
influenced by institutional trust, social connections, homophily, and normative pressure. This
paper formulates vaccination acceptance as a group action process and constructs a rigorous socio-
mathematical model to describe how individual attitudes interplay with those of groups during
emergencies in the health sector.