Boosting human capacities: How vaccination behavior and intention relates to attitudes toward vaccination, Human Enhancement, and naturalness

Abstract

Background: Even if vaccinations are widely available, a considerable number of people reject them. As sophisticated biotechnologies capable of augmenting the human body's capacities, vaccinations are an instance of Human Enhancement (HE): The effort to use technologies to improve humans. Global vaccination efforts against SARS-CoV-2 evoke public concerns similar to those in the general HE debate, namely, naturalness and invasiveness. We explore these variables and their connection to vaccination behavior in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We conducted an online survey (N = 314 persons) with 256 participants (81.5%) vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 and n = 58 (18.5%) not vaccinated. Participants answered questions concerning their attitudes on nature and naturalness, willingness to use cognitive enhancement methods, HE, psychological effects of vaccination, and planned vaccination. Several Bayesian regression models were constructed to predict the willingness to use cognitive enhancement, attitudes toward vaccinations and HE, and whether people plan for further vaccination doses. Results: Participants were more willing to use methods to improve cognitive abilities if considered natural, non-invasive, and not used frequently. A less affirmative attitude toward naturalness was also associated with more willingness to use. Effects were primarily moderated by vaccination status. Vaccinated and unvaccinated participants differed substantially, especially in measures that reflected the attitude toward naturalness and related phenomena. Participants did not assess vaccinations as a prime example of HE. Rating of vaccination as enhancement did not reliably predict attitude on vaccination nor HE. More affirmative attitudes toward naturalness and not being vaccinated were negatively associated with the attitude toward vaccinations and HE. A positive attitude toward HE predicted a more positive attitude toward vaccinations. Support of disease control measures and attitude toward vaccinations positively predicted vaccination intention. Receiving the vaccination led to psychological relief. Conclusions: Motives of vaccination and HE refusal appear to be linked. Interventions considered unnatural and invasive are deemed unfavorable. These reasons seem more pronounced for unvaccinated participants. If HE, e.g., vaccination, constitutes an essential public health measure, concerns about the human relationship to nature, perceived naturalness, and sanctity of the human body must be sufficiently and thoughtfully addressed.