The Impact of Political Ideology on Vaccination Behavior

• In Event: Vaccines and Science

Abstract

The Impact of Political Ideology on Vaccination Behavior: The Role of Perceptions of Science and Scientists, and Confidence in Governmental and Medical Figures

Despite ample evidence for vaccine safety and effectiveness, willingness to vaccinate depends on people’s confidence in those communicating the need for and urgency of the behavior (Dubé et al., 2013). These include representatives of governmental agencies (Sell, 2017), such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), as well as one’s own health care provider. Attacks on the competence and integrity of federal health officials during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly from Republicans and conservatives, highlighted the role played by public perceptions of science and scientists in promoting or hindering vaccination (Evans & Hargittai, 2020; Jamieson, 2021).

However, prior work on vaccine acceptance and hesitancy did not pay attention to the impact of political ideology on the complex interaction between political ideology, confidence in governmental health institutions. Moreover, researchers have relied on narrow and one-dimensional measurement of perceptions, mostly of trust. To address these limitations, we rely on a comprehensive set of measurements offered by the Factors Assessing Science’s Self-presentation (FASS) model(Ophir et al., 2023). While some earlier work measured intent to vaccinate, we study reported vaccination behavior. Additionally, our analysis relies on a large representative sample. While prior work often failed to distinguish the mediating effect of confidence in one’s own health care provider from confidence in governmental spokespersons, such as Fauci, as well as the interaction between the two.

Lastly, and most importantly, we add all these together, exploring the impact of a three-way interaction between political ideology, confidence in Dr. Facui and Confidence in one’s healthcare providers, on vaccination behavior.
To address these questions, our study uses data from a 2022 national probability sample of 1,154 US adults. The 2022 [redacted for blind review] Survey was conducted via telephone (CATI) by SSRS, an independent research company (adjusted margin of error is +/-3.40% at the 95% confidence level. The response rate was 3%, AAPOR RR 3). Interviews were conducted February 2 – February 13, 2022, among a representative 1,154 US adults, aged 18 and older (895 via cell phone, 259 land line). Analysis was carried using structural equation modeling and linear regression.

We find that confidence in the COVID-19 information provided by Dr. Fauci and one’s healthcare provider mediated the relationship between FASS factors and vaccination. Confidence in each was positively associated with reported COVID-19 vaccination.

Lastly, a three-way interaction was found, where conservatives, but not liberals, who lacked confidence in Dr. Fauci, relied more heavily on their confidence in their own healthcare provider when making vaccine decisions.

Confidence in those communicating science, including governmental representatives and healthcare providers, mediate the relationship between perceptions of science and scientists and vaccination. The mediation paths suggest that Dr. Fauci was seen as part of the production of science, while healthcare providers were associated with its application. Moreover, confidence in healthcare providers is especially important for populations in risk of non-vaccination. The results highlight vulnerabilities that may hinder vaccination uptake and identify potential communication strategies for bolstering confidence and acceptance of science-based public health recommendations.
Importantly, this study also demonstrates when it comes to vaccination, conservatives’ confidence in their own doctors could ameliorate the effect of lack of confidence in governmental public health figures.

References
Dubé, E., Laberge, C., Guay, M., Bramadat, P., Roy, R., & Bettinger, J. A. (2013). Vaccine hesitancy: An overview. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 9(8), 1763–1773. https://doi.org/10.4161/hv.24657
Evans, J. H., & Hargittai, E. (2020). Who Doesn’t Trust Fauci? The Public’s Belief in the Expertise and Shared Values of Scientists in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 6, 237802312094733. https://doi.org/10.1177/2378023120947337
Jamieson, K. H. (2021). How conspiracists exploited COVID-19 science. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(11), 1464–1465. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01217-2
Ophir, Y., Walter, D., Jamieson, P. E., & Jamieson, K. H. (2023). Factors Assessing Science’s Self-­Presentation model and their effect on conservatives’ and liberals’ support for funding science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213838120
Sell, T. K. (2017). When the Next Disease Strikes: How To Communicate (and How Not To). Health Security, 15(1), 28–30. https://doi.org/10.1089/hs.2016.0100

Authors

• Dror Walter, Georgia State University

• Yotam Ophir, University at Buffalo

• Kathleen Jamieson, University of Pennsylvania

• Patrick Jamieson, University of Pennsylvania