“It’s Your Fault!”—Said the Vaccinated to the Unvaccinated. The Effect of COVID-19 Vaccination on Responsibility Attribution

Abstract

Limited knowledge exists regarding the factors influencing the perceptions of individuals who may have transmitted a contagious virus. This study examined the impact of vaccination status on evaluations of individuals suspected of being sources of infection. The vaccination status of three individuals—the study participant (observer), the potential source of infection (actor), and the infected person—was considered. A total of 395 participants were assigned to one of four conditions based on vaccination status. Results revealed that vaccinated observers attributed greater responsibility for the infection to the unvaccinated actor, perceiving them as less moral, trustworthy, and empathetic compared to unvaccinated observers. The vaccination status of the infected person did not significantly influence observers’ evaluations of the actor, nor did it affect unvaccinated observers’ assessments based on the actor’s vaccination status. These findings suggest that vaccinated individuals may negatively assess unvaccinated individuals suspected of being sources of infection.