TY - JOUR
T1 - Divided by the jab: affective polarisation based on COVID vaccination status
AU - Wagner, Markus
AU - Eberl, Jakob-Moritz
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2024/5/9
Y1 - 2024/5/9
N2 - Group-based affective polarisation can emerge around new issues that divide citizens. The public response to vaccines against COVID-19 provided a clear example of a new basis for group divides. Despite scientific consensus regarding the dangers of SARS-CoV-2 as well as the safety and effectiveness of available vaccinations, the public response to the COVID-19 pandemic was strongly politicised during the height of the health crisis. Positive social identities and negative out-group stereotyping developed around support or opposition to the vaccines. Panel survey data from Austria shows that vaccination identities are clearly identifiable and are related to extensive trait-based stereotyping of in- and out-group members. Moreover, we show that vaccination identities are linked to political identities and orientations that pre-date the politicisation of COVID-19 vaccines. Indeed, vaccination identities are more strongly related to political orientations than the decision to get vaccinated itself. Importantly, vaccination identities help us understand downstream attitudes, preferences, and behaviours related to the pandemic, even when controlling for other important predictors such as vaccination status and partisanship for anti-vaccine parties. We discuss the implications and generalizability of our findings beyond the context of the pandemic.
AB - Group-based affective polarisation can emerge around new issues that divide citizens. The public response to vaccines against COVID-19 provided a clear example of a new basis for group divides. Despite scientific consensus regarding the dangers of SARS-CoV-2 as well as the safety and effectiveness of available vaccinations, the public response to the COVID-19 pandemic was strongly politicised during the height of the health crisis. Positive social identities and negative out-group stereotyping developed around support or opposition to the vaccines. Panel survey data from Austria shows that vaccination identities are clearly identifiable and are related to extensive trait-based stereotyping of in- and out-group members. Moreover, we show that vaccination identities are linked to political identities and orientations that pre-date the politicisation of COVID-19 vaccines. Indeed, vaccination identities are more strongly related to political orientations than the decision to get vaccinated itself. Importantly, vaccination identities help us understand downstream attitudes, preferences, and behaviours related to the pandemic, even when controlling for other important predictors such as vaccination status and partisanship for anti-vaccine parties. We discuss the implications and generalizability of our findings beyond the context of the pandemic.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192521673&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/17457289.2024.2352449
DO - 10.1080/17457289.2024.2352449
M3 - Article
SN - 1745-7289
JO - Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties
JF - Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties
ER -