Toward controlling of a pandemic: How self-control ability influences willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine

Abstract

What influences people's vaccine attitudes and intentions in the combat against the COVID-19 pandemic? Extending beyond health factors, the present research examines whether non-health-specific factors—such as one's self-control ability—influence individual attitudes toward vaccination. Drawing on the social psychology literature, we propose that self-control, which is often associated with adherence to social norms and with engagement in socially desirable behaviors, can lead to more favorable attitudes toward vaccines. Study 1 provided correlational evidence for our theoretical perspective that students scoring high on trait self-control expressed less vaccine hesitancy than students scoring low on self-control. Employing a more representative population, Study 2 examined the relationship with behaviors. It was found that non-student adults with higher self-control strength levels were more likely to accept vaccine appointments opportunities than those with lower self-control strength levels. Using an experimental design, Study 3 found that participants exerting a high level of effort for attentional self-control in the incongruent Stroop task condition showed lower COVID-19 vaccine acceptance than participants in the congruent condition. In sum, our research provides the first experimental evidence that high self-control can have a reliable impact on individual perceptions of vaccination.

To vaccinate or not: The relationship between conscientiousness and individual attitudes toward vaccination in real‐life contexts

“…The items were: (1) “How likely is it that you would get a Corona Virus (COVID‐19) shot if one were available?”; and (2) “If you were faced with the decision to get a Corona Virus (COVID‐19) shot today, how likely is it that you would do so if one were available?” Participants indicated their intentions to receive a vaccine on a seven‐point Likert scale, ranging from 1 = not at all likely to 7 = extremely likely . This two‐item survey is a unidimensional scale which demonstrates sufficient psychometric quality in measuring individual attitudes toward vaccination across diverse cultures and populations including Chinese people as shown in several published studies (Cao & Li, 2022 ; Huynh & Senger, 2021 ). Thus, the results from the two items were averaged to create a single aggregate measure, with higher average score representing stronger agreement of the corresponding statements.…”

Rules We Live by: How Religious Beliefs Relate to Compliance with Precautionary Measures Against COVID-19 in Tibetan Buddhists

“…Thus, we should exercise caution about generalization of these findings and explore the proposed effect of religious beliefs among diverse populations in future studies. Last but not least, the current research has focused on the impact of theology in general and has not considered if personality and individual differences may moderate the observed effect (Cao & Li, 2022 ). Therefore, individual differences should be integrated into the study to capture a more complete understanding of the role of religious systems in influencing health decision-making.…”

Pollution free UV-C radiation to mitigate COVID-19 transmission

“…COVID 19 issue is still a challenge even after availability of medicine and vaccine ( Cao and Li, 2022 , Jamrozik and Selgelid, 2020 , Khan et al, 2020 , Yang and Wang, 2020 , Zhang et al, 2020 ). Asymptomatic patients were also found and the random deaths of patients were also reported in almost every country including India ( Changotra et al, 2021 ).…”