Information about herd immunity through vaccination and empathy promote COVID-19 vaccination intentions.

Stefan Pfattheicher (Corresponding author), Michael Bang Petersen, Robert Böhm

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

Objective: An effective vaccine against COVID-19 is a desired solution to curb the spread of the disease. However, vaccine hesitancy might hinder high uptake rates and thus undermine efforts to eliminate COVID-19 once an effective vaccine became available. The present contribution addresses this issue by examining two ways of increasing the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Method: Two preregistered online studies were conducted (N = 2,315 participants from the United Kingdom) in which knowledge about and beliefs in herd immunity through vaccination, as well as empathy for those most vulnerable to the virus, were either measured (Study 1) or manipulated (Study 2). As a dependent variable, individuals’ self-reported vaccination intention once a vaccine against COVID-19 became available was assessed. Results: In Study 1 (N = 310), the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 was correlated with knowledge about and belief in herd immunity through vaccination (r = .58, p < .001), as well as with empathy for those most vulnerable to the virus (r = .26, p < .001). In Study 2 (N = 2,005), information about herd immunity through vaccination (Cohen’s d = .13, p = .003) and empathy (Cohen’s d = .22, p < .001) independently promoted vaccination intention. Conclusions: The motivation to get vaccinated against COVID-19 was related to and could be causally promoted by both mere information about herd immunity through vaccination and by empathy. As such, the present research provides a better understanding of the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)85-93
Number of pages9
JournalHealth Psychology
Volume41
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2022
Externally publishedYes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 501021 Social psychology

Keywords

  • ALTRUISM
  • COVID-19
  • HAND HYGIENE
  • HESITANCY
  • PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR
  • empathy
  • herd immunity
  • prosociality
  • vaccination

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