The psychological roots of anti-vaccination attitudes: A 24-nation investigation
- PMID: 29389158
- DOI: 10.1037/hea0000586
The psychological roots of anti-vaccination attitudes: A 24-nation investigation
Abstract
Objective: 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.
Methods: 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).
Results: 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.
Conclusions: 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
(c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
Similar articles
-
Countering antivaccination attitudes.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Aug 18;112(33):10321-4. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1504019112. Epub 2015 Aug 3. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015. PMID: 26240325 Free PMC article.
-
Attitude roots and Jiu Jitsu persuasion: Understanding and overcoming the motivated rejection of science.Am Psychol. 2017 Jul-Aug;72(5):459-473. doi: 10.1037/a0040437. Am Psychol. 2017. PMID: 28726454
-
Underlying motivators for anti-vaccination attitudes amongst regional Sunshine Coast parents in Australia.Health Promot J Austr. 2023 Apr;34(2):579-586. doi: 10.1002/hpja.612. Epub 2022 Jun 14. Health Promot J Austr. 2023. PMID: 35504853
-
Systematic review of qualitative studies exploring parental beliefs and attitudes toward childhood vaccination identifies common barriers to vaccination.J Clin Epidemiol. 2005 Nov;58(11):1081-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2005.09.002. J Clin Epidemiol. 2005. PMID: 16223649 Review.
-
Using behavior change frameworks to improve healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates: A systematic review.Vaccine. 2016 Jun 14;34(28):3235-42. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.04.071. Epub 2016 May 5. Vaccine. 2016. PMID: 27155491 Review.
Cited by
-
Determinants of COVID-19 vaccination intention in Central and Eastern Europe: A cross-sectional study in Poland, Romania, and Slovenia.Arch Public Health. 2024 Apr 30;82(1):60. doi: 10.1186/s13690-024-01261-0. Arch Public Health. 2024. PMID: 38689314 Free PMC article.
-
Loneliness trajectories over three decades are associated with conspiracist worldviews in midlife.Nat Commun. 2024 Apr 29;15(1):3629. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-47113-x. Nat Commun. 2024. PMID: 38684667 Free PMC article.
-
Facilitators and barriers to vaccination uptake in pregnancy: A qualitative systematic review.PLoS One. 2024 Apr 19;19(4):e0298407. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298407. eCollection 2024. PLoS One. 2024. PMID: 38640190 Free PMC article.
-
Psychometric evaluation of the Trust in Science and Scientists Scale.R Soc Open Sci. 2024 Apr 17;11(4):231228. doi: 10.1098/rsos.231228. eCollection 2024 Apr. R Soc Open Sci. 2024. PMID: 38633348 Free PMC article.
-
A Behavior-Analytic Approach to Antivaccination Practices.Behav Soc Issues. 2021;30(1):648-665. doi: 10.1007/s42822-021-00051-5. Epub 2021 Jun 8. Behav Soc Issues. 2021. PMID: 38624918 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical