Climate and vaccine misinformation seemed worlds apart – but it turned out the Cranky Uncle was a universal figure

The quintessential "cranky uncle" - the older family member with strong opinions on 'common sense', skeptical about climate change and vaccines - is a familiar figure to many in western countries. This character was certainly recognizable to John Cook, an academic at the University of Manchester, who is an expert in combating misinformation about climate change. Using his abilities as a part-time cartoonist, Cook created the 'Cranky Uncle' game, which instructs users on how to identify climate misinformation. Since its 2020 release, the game has been used by tens of thousands globally.

When UNICEF approached Cook about adapting the game to handle vaccine misinformation in developing nations, he expressed initial misgivings due to cultural disparities. However, he found that the "cranky uncle" archetype is universally understood. A modified version of the Cranky Uncle vaccination game has been launched in Tanzania, with pilot tests carried out in Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana. The game's global expansion plan includes countries like Pakistan.

With vaccine hesitance, often fueled by misinformation, identified as one of the largest threats to worldwide health by the World Health Organization in 2019, UNICEF reported around 20 million children skipped one or more routine vaccines in 2022. Many regions, particularly Africa, show improvement in vaccination rates, but numbers still fall short of pre-pandemic levels.

The game is based on Cook’s research with other social scientists, testing the best counters to misinformation. Instead of directly debunking myths about vaccines or climate change, it uses an "inoculation technique", preparing people for common argument patterns typically used by "cranky uncles". According to Cook, this approach has proven highly effective.

Over 55,000 copies of the original Cranky Uncle climate game have been downloaded from the Apple app store, with more languages and a teacher's guide planned. Prior to the vaccine version's launch, an analysis was conducted to identify the most common vaccine misinformation, which included advocating for natural remedies over vaccines and the "false cause" fallacy.

In the game, players are presented with a health worker and the Cranky Uncle character and must identify ten different misinformation tactics, or "tricks". The player’s task is to identify these fallacies through a quiz format.

The more often players correctly identify these fallacies, the angrier the uncle becomes. Both the game's design and its effectiveness are products of collaboration between Cook, his wife Wendy, and other partners including Unicef, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and public health consultancy Irimi.

Local workshops in Africa led by Kate Hopkins of Sabin and Chelsey Lepage of Irimi were used to co-design the game, with each country’s version specifically tailored to the local communities. These versions have yielded meaningful changes in attitudes toward vaccines in Kenya, Uganda, and Ghana, according to Hopkins.

Cook's hope is that the game will encourage critical thinking, whether it is about vaccinations, climate change, or public debate in general. Despite navigating unfamiliar territory in the realm of vaccine misinformation, Cook sees vindication of his approach across multiple topics.