Conspiracy Beliefs and Acceptance of COVID-Vaccine: An Exploratory Study in Italy

Monica Pivetti,Mariana Bonomo,Eemeli Hakoköngäs,Giannino Melotti

doi:10.3390/socsci10030108

Abstract

The availability of vaccines does not mean that people will be willing to get vaccinated. For example, different conspiracy beliefs on the adverse effects of vaccines may lead people to avoid collective health measures. This paper explores the role played by antecedents of COVID-related conspiracy beliefs, such as the role of political ideology and the endorsement of moral purity values, and the consequences of COVID-related conspiracy beliefs in terms of the acceptance of a COVID vaccine (when available) via structural equation modelling (SEM). A sample of 590 Italian participants filled in a questionnaire implemented using the Qualtrics.com platform, during the first Italian lockdown in April–May 2020. Results showed that endorsing purity values predicted stronger negative attitude towards COVID-vaccines. Moreover, conspiracy beliefs negatively predicted general attitudes toward vaccines. Faith in science negatively predicted general and COVID-related conspiracy beliefs, with those believing more in science also less endorsing general and COVID-related conspiracy beliefs. The attitudes towards the vaccines mediated the relationship between COVID-related conspiracy beliefs and attitudes towards COVID vaccine.

Highlights

Compliance with public health advice is mandatory during extensive emergencies, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic
To answer the questions raised by the previous studies, this paper aims to explore (1) the role played by antecedents of COVID-related conspiracy beliefs, such as the role of political ideology and the endorsement of moral purity values, and (2) the behavioral consequences of COVID-related conspiracy beliefs in terms of acceptance of the COVID vaccine
Attitudes towards the vaccine in general mediated the relationship between COVID-related conspiracy beliefs and attitudes towards COVID-vaccines (e.g., Bertin et al 2020; Earnshaw et al 2020; Romer and Jamieson 2020), indicating again the importance of this dimension in predicting the acceptance of a COVID-vaccine. This result confirms previous research showing that health engagement was positively related to the intention to vaccinate and this relationship was partially mediated by the general attitude towards vaccines (Graffigna et al 2020)

Summary

Introduction

Compliance with public health advice is mandatory during extensive emergencies, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. Among the pro-health behaviors in times of COVID-19, considerable hope is being hinged on the promise of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy is complex and context-specific, varying between the time, place, and type of vaccine. Even those who are vaccinated can harbor diffidence towards certain aspects of vaccination (Enkel et al 2018; Peretti-Watel et al 2020; Wang et al 2015). A study in France during the lockdown in the spring of 2020 found that 26% of respondents stated that if a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 becomes available, they would rather not use it (Peretti-Watel et al 2020). Vaccine hesitancy was associated with a decrease in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in France (Detoc et al 2020)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion