Anti-vaccination Attitudes Research Articles

Is the worship of celebrities associated with resistance to vaccinations? Relationships between celebrity admiration, anti-vaccination attitudes, and beliefs in conspiracy

ABSTRACT Vaccinations and anti-vaccination attitudes have reclaimed the spotlight as a crucial health behavior because of the recent surge in outbreaks of preventable diseases. One factor that may be contributing to this trend is the outspoken role that anti-vaccination celebrities play. The main purpose of the present study was to determine whether anti-vaccination attitudes are related to celebrity admiration. We hypothesized a positive correlation between anti-vaccination attitudes and celebrity interest and admiration. We also hypothesized that persons who are very concerned about the commercial profiteering of vaccinations will also tend to believe in conspiracies. Participants (N = 320, 40% female, mean age = 36.28, SD = 11.32) completed the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) and the Vaccination Attitudes Examination Scale (VAX) through an online survey management system. We found significant positive associations between anti-vaccination attitudes and celebrity admiration and interest. However, celebrity admiration and interest did not correlate with mistrust of vaccine benefits, as measured by a subdomain of the VAX. Additionally, we found that concerns about commercial profiteering from vaccines correlated with beliefs in conspiracy theories. Our study suggests a new way of approaching people’s anti-vaccination attitudes that may be used to effectively educate the public about the importance of vaccinations.

Intellectual humility’s association with vaccine attitudes and intentions

ABSTRACT Vaccinations are critical to public health but uptake levels remain suboptimal. Intellectual humility, a virtue characterized by nonjudgmental recognition of one’s own intellectual fallibility, may support the promotion of favorable vaccine attitudes. The current study investigated whether intellectual humility is related to anti-vaccination attitudes and intentions to vaccinate against the flu. Through an online survey management system, participants (N = 246, Mage = 39.06 years, SDage = 10.57, 50.80% female, 79.20% White, 6.50% Black/African American, 7.80% Asian, 1.20% Hispanic/Latino, and 5.30% Other) completed a measure for intellectual humility, the anti-vaccination attitudes (VAX) scale, and a three-item flu vaccine intention scale. We found that intellectual humility negatively correlated with anti-vaccination attitudes. This correlation was largely driven by openness to revising one’s viewpoint and lack of intellectual overconfidence. Additionally, we found that intellectual humility did not relate to flu vaccination intentions. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings and their potential to support the eventual development of strategies to leverage intellectual humility into a health promotion strategy.

How Culture Wars Delay Herd Immunity: Christian Nationalism and Anti-vaccine Attitudes

Prior research demonstrates that a number of cultural factors—including politics and religion—are significantly associated with anti-vaccine attitudes. This is consequential because herd immunity is compromised when large portions of a population resist vaccination. Using a nationally representative sample of American adults that contains a battery of questions exploring views about vaccines, the authors demonstrate how a pervasive ideology that rejects scientific authority and promotes allegiance to conservative political leaders—what we and others call Christian nationalism—is consistently one of the two strongest predictors of anti-vaccine attitudes, stronger than political or religious characteristics considered separately. Results suggest that as Americans evaluate decisions to vaccinate themselves or their children, those who strongly embrace Christian nationalism—close to a quarter of the population—will be much more likely to abstain, potentially prolonging the threat of certain illnesses. The authors conclude by discussing the immediate implications of these findings for a possible coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.

Who's Skeptical of Vaccines? Prevalence and Determinants of Anti-Vaccination Attitudes in Italy

This paper investigates negative attitudes toward vaccines in Italy, where anti-vaccination movements have gained significant momentum in recent years. Considering the substantial health risk to herd immunity the issue poses, particularly after the sudden outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has become increasingly urgent to study the prevalence and diffusion of anti-vaccination beliefs. Using data from the 2016 European Social Survey's (ESS) country specific questions for Italy, the prevalence of anti-vaccination attitudes is examined along with how they are influenced by demographic, attitudinal and value-oriented determinants. The results show that 15 percent of the Italian public strictly hold negative views toward vaccination, and the prevalence of anti-vaccination attitudes is most commonly found among those who are less educated and aged between 25 and 34. While religiosity and political conservatism do not have an effect on anti-vaccination beliefs, our results indicate a strong positive link between anti-vaccination attitudes and distrust in the country's health-care systems and political institutions.

The echo in flu-vaccination echo chambers: Selective attention trumps social influence

BackgroundOnline discussions may impact the willingness to get vaccinated. This experiment tests how groups of individuals with consistent and inconsistent attitudes towards flu vaccination attend to and convey information online, and how they alter their corresponding risk perceptions. MethodsOut of 1859 MTurkers, we pre-selected 208 people with negative and 221 people with positive attitudes towards flu vaccinations into homogeneous or heterogeneous 3-link experimental diffusion chains. We assessed (i) which information about flu vaccinations participants conveyed to the subsequent link, (ii) how flu-vaccination related perceptions were altered by incoming messages, and (iii) how participants perceived incoming information. ResultsParticipants (i) selectively conveyed attitude-consistent information, but exhibited no overall anti-vaccination bias, (ii) were reluctant to alter their flu-vaccination related perceptions in response to messages, and (iii) evaluated incoming information consistent with their prior attitudes as more convincing. DiscussionFlu-vaccination related perceptions are resilient against contradictions and bias online communication. Contrary to expectations, there was no sign of amplification of anti-vaccine attitudes by online communication.

Accepters, fence sitters, or rejecters: Moral profiles of vaccination attitudes

RationaleChildhood vaccination is a safe and effective way of reducing infectious diseases. Yet, public confidence in vaccination is waning, driven in part by the ‘manufacture of doubt’ by anti-vaccination activists and websites. However, there is little research examining the psychological underpinnings of anti-vaccination rhetoric among parents. ObjectivesHere, we examined the structure and moral roots of anti-vaccination attitudes amongst Australian parents active on social media parenting sites. MethodsParticipants (N = 296) completed questionnaires assessing their vaccination attitudes, behavioural intentions, and moral preferences. ResultsUsing Latent Profile Analysis, we identified three profiles (i.e., groups), interpretable as vaccine “accepters”, “fence sitters”, and “rejecters”, each characterised by a distinct pattern of vaccination attitudes and moral preferences. Accepters exhibited positive vaccination attitudes and strong intentions to vaccinate; rejecters exhibited the opposite pattern of responses; whilst fence sitters exhibited an intermediate pattern of responses. Compared to accepters, rejecters and fence sitters exhibited a heightened moral preference for liberty (belief in the rights of the individual) and harm (concern about the wellbeing of others). Compared to acceptors and fence sitters, rejecters exhibited a heightened moral preference for purity (an abhorrence for impurity of body), and a diminished moral preference for authority (deference to those in positions of power). ConclusionGiven the sensitivity of fence sitters and rejecters to liberty-related moral concerns, our research cautions against the use of adversarial approaches—e.g., No Jab, No Pay legislation—that promote vaccination uptake by restricting parental freedoms, as they may backfire amongst parents ambivalent toward vaccination.

Addressing vaccination hesitancy in Europe: a case study in state-society relations.

In light of recent outbreaks of diseases such as measles in Europe, policymakers and public health practitioners are seeking strategies to address anti-vaccination attitudes and to increase immunization rates. Identifying effective strategies that will not further alienate vaccination sceptics raises challenges that go to the heart of relations between the state and society. Drawing on accounts of state–society relations, this article discusses how the problem of vaccination hesitancy might be explained from a political science perspective. Discourse-analytical approaches emphasize the importance of storylines, politics and social context in explaining a range of phenomena. Given the number and strength of prevailing discourses in groups with anti-vaccination sentiments, the literature on discourse coalitions can offer perspectives on the challenges that arise in designing strategies to address vaccine hesitancy. Paying closer attention to individual reasons why parents are vaccine hesitant might allow for designing strategies that are more suited to address concerns. However, given the pervasiveness of the discourses of anti-vaccination movements, challenges in reaching citizens who are sceptical of vaccines will remain.

Knowing less but presuming more: Dunning-Kruger effects and the endorsement of anti-vaccine policy attitudes

ObjectiveAlthough the benefits of vaccines are widely recognized by medical experts, public opinion about vaccination policies is mixed. We analyze public opinion about vaccination policies to assess whether Dunning-Kruger effects can help to explain anti-vaccination policy attitudes. RationalePeople low in autism awareness – that is, the knowledge of basic facts and dismissal of misinformation about autism – should be the most likely to think that they are better informed than medical experts about the causes of autism (a Dunning-Kruger effect). This “overconfidence” should be associated with decreased support for mandatory vaccination policies and skepticism about the role that medical professionals play in the policymaking process. MethodIn an original survey of U.S. adults (N = 1310), we modeled self-reported overconfidence as a function of responses to a knowledge test about the causes of autism, and the endorsement of misinformation about a link between vaccines and autism. We then modeled anti-vaccination policy support and attitudes toward the role that experts play in the policymaking process as a function of overconfidence and the autism awareness indicators while controlling for potential confounding factors. ResultsMore than a third of respondents in our sample thought that they knew as much or more than doctors (36%) and scientists (34%) about the causes of autism. Our analysis indicates that this overconfidence is highest among those with low levels of knowledge about the causes of autism and those with high levels of misinformation endorsement. Further, our results suggest that this overconfidence is associated with opposition to mandatory vaccination policy. Overconfidence is also associated with increased support for the role that non-experts (e.g., celebrities) play in the policymaking process. ConclusionDunning-Kruger effects can help to explain public opposition to vaccination policies and should be carefully considered in future research on anti-vaccine policy attitudes.

The psychological roots of anti-vaccination attitudes: A 24-nation investigation.

Strengthening of antivaccination movements in recent decades has coincided with unprecedented increases in the incidence of some communicable diseases. Many intervention programs work from a deficit model of science communication, presuming that vaccination skeptics lack the ability to access or understand evidence. However, interventions focusing on evidence and the debunking of vaccine-related myths have proven to be either nonproductive or counterproductive. Working from a motivated reasoning perspective, we examine the psychological factors that might motivate people to reject scientific consensus around vaccination. To assist with international generalizability, we examine this question in 24 countries. We sampled 5,323 participants in 24 countries, and measured their antivaccination attitudes. We also measured their belief in conspiracy theories, reactance (the tendency for people to have a low tolerance for impingements on their freedoms), disgust sensitivity toward blood and needles, and individualistic/hierarchical worldviews (i.e., people's beliefs about how much control society should have over individuals, and whether hierarchies are desirable). In order of magnitude, antivaccination attitudes were highest among those who (a) were high in conspiratorial thinking, (b) were high in reactance, (c) reported high levels of disgust toward blood and needles, and (d) had strong individualistic/hierarchical worldviews. In contrast, demographic variables (including education) accounted for nonsignificant or trivial levels of variance. These data help identify the "attitude roots" that may motivate and sustain vaccine skepticism. In so doing, they help shed light on why repetition of evidence can be nonproductive, and suggest communication solutions to that problem. (PsycINFO Database Record

Examining the "why" of vaccine hesitancy.

Comments on the original article by Hornsey and colleagues (see record 2018-03974-001) which present findings on a 24-nation survey of the underlying roots of vaccine hesitancy and antivaccination attitudes. Their findings provide a solid foundation on which to build the next generation of research into vaccine communication and ways to address vaccine hesitancy. Where do we go from here? Although the work of Hornsey et al. (2018) is a good first step, their primary outcome was vaccination attitudes. Future research is needed to evaluate these findings in the context of actual vaccine uptake. (PsycINFO Database Record

Anti-vaccination and pro-CAM attitudes both reflect magical beliefs about health

We examined the relationship between complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use and vaccination scepticism; and specifically whether a person’s more general health-related worldview might explain this relationship. A cross-sectional online survey of adult Australians (N = 2697) included demographic, CAM, and vaccination measures, as well as the holistic and magical health belief scales (HHB, MHB). HHB emphasises links between mind and body health, and the impact of general ‘wellness’ on specific ailments or resistance to disease, whilst MHB specifically taps ontological confusions and cognitive errors about health. CAM and anti-vaccination were found to be linked primarily at the attitudinal level (r = −0.437). We did not find evidence that this was due to CAM practitioners influencing their clients. Applying a path-analytic approach, we found that individuals’ health worldview (HHB and MHB) accounted for a significant proportion (43.1%) of the covariance between CAM and vaccination attitudes. MHB was by far the strongest predictor of both CAM and vaccination attitudes in regressions including demographic predictors. We conclude that vaccination scepticism reflects part of a broader health worldview that discounts scientific knowledge in favour of magical or superstitious thinking. Therefore, persuasive messages reflecting this worldview may be more effective than fact-based campaigns in influencing vaccine sceptics.

Fenomen ruchu antyszczepionkowego w cyberprzestrzeni, czyli fake news i postprawda na usługach hipotezy Andrew Wakefielda

The phenomenon of anti-vaccination movement in cyberspace, or fake news and post-truth in the service of Andrew Wakefield hypothesis Abstract The opponents of vaccinations have been expressing their concerns about the undesirable effects of vaccinations for more than two hundred years. They are guided by religious and ideological reasons and refuse to immunize themselves and children. They argue that the obligation to vaccinate is a limitation of their human rights. The vaccination movement has been present in the social sphere since the 19th century, however after the publication of Andrew Wakefield’s article on the subject of the alleged connection between vaccination and autism – the movement became very popular and contributed to a significant increase in the number of unvaccinated children in some countries. Nowadays, in the cyberspace and mass communication, it seems that both medical and social sciences face new challenges related to the spread of the movement. Hate speech, fake news and disinformation present in cyberspace strengthen and consolidate anti-vaccine attitudes. The phenomenon of Facebook means that every information can be made available to other users a few thousand times – even the untrue and misleading

Vaccination among Polish university students. Knowledge, beliefs and anti-vaccination attitudes

ABSTRACTAnti-vaccination movement has existed as long as the vaccines themselves, but its mode of action and social influences evolved over time. Such attitude with no doubt has negative impact on vaccination rates and eradication of infectious diseases. In this study, we used an online survey to examine vaccination attitudes of Polish university students of various degree and specialties. A total of 1,386 questionnaires were completed, among them 617 from students attending medical schools and 769 from students of non-medical schools. Up to 95.24% (N = 1320) of the study subjects, among them 98.70% and 92.46% of students of medical and non-medical specialties, respectively, declared willingness to vaccinate their children. 47.19% (N = 654) of participants have a contact with anti-vaccination propaganda at least once in a lifetimes. 42.64% (N = 591) of respondents were aware of the existence of anti-vaccination movements; 45.35% (N = 414) of participants, including 306 (51.52%) and 108 (33.86%) students of medical and non-medical disciplines, respectively, considered such movements as a negative phenomenon. Vaccination attitudes of students from medical and non-medical universities differed considerably. Vaccination knowledge and awareness among the students from non-medical universities were rather poor, markedly lower than in the students of medical disciplines. Nevertheless, irrespective of their major, Polish students have considerable knowledge gaps with regards to vaccination and need additional education in this matter.

Understanding the Dimensions of Anti-Vaccination Attitudes: the Vaccination Attitudes Examination (VAX) Scale.

Anti-vaccination attitudes are important predictors of vaccination behavior. Existing measures of vaccination attitudes focus on specific age groups and/or particular vaccines; a more comprehensive measure would facilitate comparisons across studies. The aim of this study was to develop a short measure of general vaccination attitudes and establish its reliability and validity. Two studies were conducted using the VAX scale. For Study 1, participants were 409 individuals (53% female), with a mean age of 34.5years. For Study 2, participants were 92 individuals (67% female) with a mean age of 28.6. Participants answered paper-and-pencil questions about their attitudes toward vaccines, prior and expected-future vaccination behaviors, perceived sensitivity to medicines, online behavior, and basic demographic information. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted with correlations and t tests then used to assess the scale's reliability and validity. Four distinct but correlated vaccine attitudes were identified: (1) mistrust of vaccine benefit, (2) worries about unforeseen future effects, (3) concerns about commercial profiteering, and (4) preference for natural immunity. These factors were significantly related to prior vaccination behavior, future intentions to obtain recommended vaccinations, perceived sensitivity to medicines, and the tendency to obtain health information online. The VAX scale provides an efficient method for identifying those with vaccination resistance, and the four subscales enable a more nuanced understanding of the nature of those views. It should be noted, however, that the strong correlations amongst the four subscales suggest that interventions should target all four attitude areas, and it remains to be seen whether differential emphasis across the four areas is warranted.

Studying anti-vaccination behavior and attitudes: A systematic review of methods

Studying anti-vaccination behavior and attitudes: A systematic review of methods

Parents with high levels of communicative and critical health literacy are less likely to vaccinate their children

ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between parents’ health literacy and decision-making regarding child vaccinations. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 731 parents of children aged 3–4 years. Functional, communicative, and critical health literacy (HL), knowledge, beliefs, reliability of the vaccine’s information resources, and vaccine's attitudes were measured. Attitudes included three types: pro-vaccine attitudes, anti-vaccine attitudes, and attitudes regarding mandatory vaccination. Path analysis was conducted to explore direct and indirect associations of compliance with childhood vaccinations and HL. ResultsCommunicative HL has a significant negative direct association with compliance with vaccinations (ß=−0.06, p<0.05). High functional and critical HL have significant negative indirect associations with vaccinations through parents’ attitudes regarding vaccines. Higher levels of perception of reliability of informal information resources are associated with non-compliance. ConclusionsThe results indicate that parents with high functional, communicative, and critical HL are more at risk of not vaccinating their children. The results are contrary to expectations in which people with high HL adopt more positive health behaviors. Practical implicationsPublic health professionals may need more sophisticated communication methods to transfer messages regarding vaccines to parents in order to prevent decline in vaccine coverage rates, taking into account levels of trust and health literacy.

Vaccines in prophylaxis of urinary tract infections caused by the bacteria from the genus Proteus.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) pose a threat especially to women, the individuals with weakened immunity or with abnormalities in the urinary tract as well as to hospitalized and catheterized patients. The bacteria from the genus Proteus, especially P. mirabilis, are important UTI pathogenic factors. They frequently cause chronic, recurrent or severely complicated infections, resulting in the urinary stones production due to urease and other virulence factors. The ability to survive inside the stones and the increasing antibiotic resistance make it difficult to eradicate the bacteria from the urinary tract. A good solution to the problem may be the vaccination which obtained the interest from the surveyed persons, in spite of the antivaccination attitudes visible also in Poland. Currently, there are four vaccines available, composed of killed cells of different uropathogens, including Proteus spp. They are administrated intranassaly or vaginally and require many booster doses. They decrease the probability of reinfection in patients suffering from recurrent UTIs but the mechanisms of the immune response have not been exactly defined. Promising results were obtained in the studies on a mice model concerning the subunit, conjugated vaccines in which various P. mirabilis surface antigens (with the exception of flagellin) were successfully employed. Hitherto, the best results were obtained by the intranasal vaccinations, using MR/P fimbriae antigens with MPL or cholera toxin adjuvants and the antigens expressed in Lactococcus lactis or Salmonella Typhimurium. It led to an increase in the levels of the specific serum and mucosal antibodies resulting in the protection against P. mirabilis UTIs.

Countering antivaccination attitudes.

Three times as many cases of measles were reported in the United States in 2014 as in 2013. The reemergence of measles has been linked to a dangerous trend: parents refusing vaccinations for their children. Efforts have been made to counter people's antivaccination attitudes by providing scientific evidence refuting vaccination myths, but these interventions have proven ineffective. This study shows that highlighting factual information about the dangers of communicable diseases can positively impact people's attitudes to vaccination. This method outperformed alternative interventions aimed at undercutting vaccination myths.

Reasons for Non-vaccination among Patients Who Acquired Measles: Lessons from the Local Measles Epidemics in Japan.

A survey was conducted at a private general hospital, exploring the reasons why children with measles had missed opportunities for vaccination during the local measles epidemics that occurred in Japan between 1999 and 2003. The answers from parents/guardians of confirmed measles patients (n = 120) indicated the following: more than half of the parents/guardians were too busy or forgot to have their children immunized and 32% refrained from immunization due to anti-vaccine views. Healthcare workers should consider that parents/guardians who are willing to immunize their children may miss opportunities to do so because they are busy, and not because of anti-vaccine attitudes. Healthcare workers should keep in mind that it is important to provide honest information on the potential risks and benefits of the vaccine, while informing parents/guardians of the vaccination schedule.

Attitudes towards vaccination among chiropractic and naturopathic students

We have investigated the attitudes towards vaccination of undergraduate chiropractic and naturopathic students in the two major complementary and alternative medicine colleges in Canada. While the majority of the students were not averse to vaccination, we found in both colleges that anti-vaccination attitudes were more prevalent in the later years of the programs. Reasons for this are discussed, and we provide suggestions for strategies to address the situation.