Feminist identity is associated with positive COVID-19 vaccine behaviors and beliefs

Abstract

In this article, we consider the potential associations between feminist identity and willingness to adopt vaccine-related COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Recognizing that individuals’ pandemic experiences were highly gendered and that the costs of the pandemic were distributed asymmetrically between men and women, we theorize that individuals espousing a commitment to feminist ideals were more likely to adopt behaviors intended to mitigate disease risk during the pandemic. We empirically validate our hypotheses by analyzing data from a large, nationally representative multi-wave survey of US respondents deployed in early 2022. The results of these analyses suggest that feminist identity is associated with beliefs and behaviors relating to a range of COVID-19 vaccination mitigation efforts. Notably, this relationship holds for both women and men, highlighting the role of identity independent of sex. Thus, identity-based public health policies might be one means to overcome public skepticism during future pandemics.