Does social influence affect COVID-19 vaccination intention among the unvaccinated?

Abstract

Conformist social influence is a double-edged sword when it comes to vaccine promotion. On the one hand, social influence may increase vaccine uptake by reassuring the hesitant about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine; on the other, people may forgo the cost of vaccination when the majority is already vaccinated – giving rise to a public goods dilemma. Here, we examine whether available information on the percentage of double-vaccinated people affects COVID-19 vaccination intention among unvaccinated people in Turkey. In an online experiment, we divided participants (n = 1013) into low, intermediate, and high social influence conditions, reflecting the government’s vaccine promotion messages. We found that social influence did not predict COVID-19 vaccination intention, but psychological reactance and collectivism did. People with higher reactance (intolerance of others telling one what to do and being sceptical of consensus views) had lower vaccination intention, whilst people with higher collectivism (how much a person considers group benefits over individual success) had higher vaccination intention. Our findings suggest that advertising the percentage of double-vaccinated people is not sufficient to trigger a cascade of others getting themselves vaccinated. Diverse promotion strategies reflecting the heterogeneity of individual attitudes could be more effective.

Pengaruh Kepercayaan pada Vaksin COVID-19 terhadap Intensi Vaksinasi pada Mahasiswa di Magelang

“…Pengaruh pada variabel tersebut merupakan perbedaan utama penelitian ini dengan penelitian sebelumnya. Menurut (Salali et al, 2022)…”

Association of death or illness from COVID-19 among family and friends on vaccine uptake within four months of the Emergency Use Authorization. Findings from a national survey in the United States

“…Most health behaviors, including vaccine uptake, are subject to peer influence [13] , [14] , [15] , [16] . Prior studies have evaluated the association of social influence and vaccination with mixed findings [17] , [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] . Exposure to vaccinated individuals may provide reassurance about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine leading to increased uptake of vaccination.…”

“…Exposure to vaccinated individuals may provide reassurance about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine leading to increased uptake of vaccination. However, it may also motivate people to avoid getting vaccinated if they see the majority has already been vaccinated and herd immunity has been achieved [18] , [21] , [22] , [23] . Finding effective persuasive promotional strategies using social influence may help increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake [19] , [20] .…”

Herd immunity versus self-interest motives and norms effects on influenza vaccination intention.

“…However, studies communicating the descriptive norm obtain mixed results. Some studies have not found an association between the perceived level of social norms and vaccination adoption (Lazic ét al., 2021;Salali et al, 2022;Sinclair & Agerström, 2023). On the other hand, some found a positive association, that is, bandwagoning (higher norm increase adoption), either with vaccination adoption (Allen et al, 2009;Quinn et al, 2017) or intention (Galizzi et al, 2022;Graupensperger et al, 2021;Hershey et al, 1994;Romley et al, 2016).…”