Cross-National Comparison of Religion as a Predictor of COVID-19 Vaccination Rates.

We examined the effects of religiosity on COVID-19 vaccination rates using a cross-national comparison while controlling for socio-economic factors and culture. Our analysis, conducted on data from 90 countries representing 86% of the world population, showed that Christianity was negatively related to vaccination, while there was no relation with Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and nonbelief. The importance of religion, freedom of expression and belief, sex ratio, median age, and almost all cultural factors were not related to vaccination, whereas Human Development Index was. The influence of different religions on vaccination rates has also been described.

Vaccinating to Protect Others: The Role of Self-Persuasion and Empathy among Young Adults.

Direct persuasion is usually less effective than self-persuasion. As research shows that most young adults are unafraid of COVID-19, this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of self-persuasion targeted at protecting the health of others to encourage young adults to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and examined the link between empathy and vaccination intention. We conducted two studies: Study 1 (n = 352) compared the effectiveness of self-persuasion targeted at others' health versus personal health and direct persuasion in encouraging COVID-19 vaccination intention; Study 2 (n = 375) investigated the applicability of self-persuasion through a poster framed as an open-ended question. The theory of planned behavior-based tools were used in both studies, and structural equation modeling was conducted. Study 1 found that self-persuasion targeted at others' health (compared to other forms of persuasion) indirectly affects vaccination intention through utility and social norm beliefs. Higher empathy, utility, social norms, and control beliefs are associated with a greater vaccination intention. Study 2 found that the poster with self-persuasion targeted at others' health enhanced vaccination intention compared with a direct persuasion poster. Our findings demonstrate that self-persuasion targeted at others' health can potentially increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake among young adults.

Self-persuasion increases motivation for social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic through moral obligation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments use direct persuasion to encourage social isolation. Since self-persuasion is a more effective method of encouraging behavioural changes, using an experimental approach, we compared direct persuasion to self-persuasion on underlying motivations for voluntary social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked the participants (N = 375) to write three arguments in support of social isolation (self-persuasion condition) or to evaluate three government graphics containing arguments for social isolation (direct persuasion condition). Then we asked the participants to evaluate perceived own vulnerability to COVID-19, the perceived severity of COVID-19, moral obligation to socially isolate and the attitude toward social isolation. Self-persuasion had a significant impact on the moral obligation to socially isolate, and through it on self-isolation intention. We also found evidence that individuals who perceived greater benefits from social isolation and who perceived a higher severity of COVID-19 have a higher intention to socially isolate. Significant sex and age differences also emerged. Our findings provide new insights into mechanisms of self-persuasion and underlying motivations that influence social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Reactance and perceived disease severity as determinants of COVID-19 vaccination intention: an application of the theory of planned behavior.

To encourage maximum vaccination against COVID-19, determinants of vaccination intention must be identified. The present study aimed to do so through an application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). We examined variables associated with TPB, perceived severity of COVID-19, knowing someone with COVID-19 (k-COVID-19), and individual differences such as age, gender, and psychological reactance. An online survey was conducted on 551 Polish participants. Structural equation modeling was conducted on the data collected. Attitude (utility beliefs) toward COVID-19 vaccination was the strongest predictor of vaccination intention, followed by beliefs about social norms and perceived behavioral control. Older age and k-COVID-19 were associated with higher vaccination intention through perceived higher severity of infection and higher levels of all TPB components. Being a woman and having higher trait reactance were negatively related to COVID-19 vaccination intention through lower levels of all TPB components. The results show that COVID-19 vaccination intention is directly associated with all TPB components, and is related to gender, age, COVID-19-related variables, and reactance. Our results contribute to the scientific pursuit of encouraging uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine by identifying modifiable determinants that could be targeted in health campaigns.