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

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.

Ostracism and Conspiracy Beliefs About COVID-19: Personality and Existential Underlying Mechanisms in a Quote Sampling Study During the First Wave of the Pandemic (preprint)

Aims: This paper examines the association between ostracism and endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, the mediating role of sense of vulnerability, self-uncertainty and individual/collective narcissism and the moderating role of conspiracy mentality. Methods: Participants were recruited in the United Kingdom via quote sampling (N=895). Power analysis and sample size checks were conducted beforehand. A cross-sectional design was deployed and in subsequent analyses we controlled for demographic variables. Results: Ostracism positively predicted endorsement of COVID-19 conspiracy theories and this association was mediated by sense of vulnerability, self-uncertainty, meaning seek, individual and collective narcissism. Furthermore, conspiracy mentality moderated the relationship between ostracism and COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs. Conclusion: Our study expands on the still very few and scarce research on ostracism and conspiracy theories and building on existing findings, it explores further underlying personality and existential variables that explain this relationship. Theoretical and societal implications are discussed.

WHY SOME HESITATE MORE: CROSS-CULTURAL VARIATION IN CONSPIRACY BELIEFS, BELIEF IN SCIENCE, AND VACCINE ATTITUDES (preprint)

Background: Countries differ in their levels of vaccine hesitancy (a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines), trust in vaccines, and acceptance of new vaccines. In this paper, we examine the factors contributing to the cross-cultural variation in vaccine attitudes, measured by levels of 1) general vaccine hesitancy, 2) trust in vaccines, and 3) COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Methods: We examined the relative effect of conspiracy mentality, belief in COVID-19 conspiracies, and belief in science on the above-mentioned vaccine attitudes in the UK (n= 1533), US (n= 1550), and Turkey (n= 1567) through a quota-sampled online survey to match the population for age, gender, ethnicity, and education level. Results: We found that belief in COVID-19 conspiracies and conspiracy mentality were the strongest predictors of general vaccine hesitancy across all three countries. Belief in science had the largest positive effect on general vaccine trust and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Although participants in Turkey demonstrated the lowest level of vaccine trust, their belief in science score was significantly higher than participants in the US, suggesting that belief in science cannot explain the cross-cultural variation in vaccine trust. The mean levels of conspiracy mentality and agreement with COVID-19 conspiracies were consistent with the country-level differences in general and COVID-19 vaccine attitudes. Demographic variables did not predict vaccine attitudes as much as belief in conspiracies and science. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that cross-cultural variation in vaccine hesitancy, vaccine trust, and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates are mainly driven by differences in the prevalence of conspiratorial thinking across countries.

Adaptive function and correlates of anxiety during a pandemic (preprint)

The majority of the studies to date have focused on the negative aspects of anxiety. Anxiety, however, is an evolved emotional response serving to decrease mortality risk. Pandemics are characterized by increased mortality risk coupled with future uncertainties, both of which result in heightened anxiety. Here, we examined the factors associated with anxiety levels and risk avoidance behaviours during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK (N = 1088) and Turkey (N = 3935). We asked how individual time perspectives (future orientation and present moment attention) affect anxiety in an uncertain time, and whether an elevated anxiety response reduces mortality risk by promoting risk avoidance behaviour. We found that people who were more future-oriented and less tolerant of uncertainties had higher levels of generalized and pandemic anxieties. Those with higher anxiety levels engaged in risk avoidance behaviours more frequently. Mindfulness reduced anxiety levels without reducing risk avoidance, suggesting that mindfulness-based therapies can be used to alleviate anxiety without interfering with the benefits of a healthy anxiety response. Trust in others reduced anxiety, but also reduced risk avoidant behaviour. Several behavioural and social factors contributed to the country-level differences in the overall anxiety levels and engagement in risk avoidance behaviours.

National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic (preprint)

Changing collective behaviour and supporting non-pharmaceutical interventions is an important component in mitigating virus transmission during a pandemic. In a large international collaboration (Study 1, N = 49,968 across 67 countries), we investigated self-reported factors that associated with people reported adopting public health behaviours (e.g., spatial distancing and stricter hygiene) and endorsed public policy interventions (e.g., closing bars and restaurants) during the early stage of the pandemic (April-May 2020). Respondents who reported identifying more strongly with their nation consistently reported greater engagement in public health behaviours and support for public health policies. Results were similar for representative and non-representative national samples. Study 2 (N = 42 countries) conceptually replicated the central finding using aggregate indices of national identity (obtained using the World Values Survey) and a measure of actual behaviour change during the pandemic (obtained from Google mobility reports). Higher levels of national identification prior to the pandemic predicted lower mobility during the early stage of the pandemic (r = -.40). We discuss the potential implications of links between national identity, leadership, and public health for managing COVID-19 and future pandemics.