Religion and COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage in the Netherlands between August 2021 and February 2022

ABSTRACT

This article explores the possible relationship between religion and the COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the Netherlands by addressing the following research questions (1) to what extent is religious affiliation a factor in the COVID-19 vaccination coverage in the Netherlands? and (2) to what extent has this possible effect of religious affiliation changed over time? Our analyses reveal a strong and persistent effect of the proportion of orthodox Protestants per municipality on the vaccination coverage per municipality and no such effect for the proportion of Catholics. Furthermore, the analysis also reveals a similar effect for the proportion of Muslims, but this effect disappears when controlled for the proportion of non-Western migrants. © Paul Vermeer & Joris Kregting.