RESUMEN

COVID-19 vaccinations have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing severe infections. However, vaccine hesitancy posed a major public health hurdle to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Online spread of vaccine conspiracy beliefs generated unwarranted mistrust and resistance to vaccines. While numerous studies have explored the factors influencing vaccine hesitancy, there remains a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the interplay between perceived disease vulnerability, COVID-19 fear, and vaccine hesitancy. Protection motivation theory posits citizens will evaluate perceived threats and take actions to mitigate potential harm. With a large U.S. sample, path analysis demonstrated individuals' perceived disease vulnerability was associated with lower vaccine hesitancy. Greater perceived disease vulnerability was associated with higher COVID-19 fear. Greater COVID-19 fear was associated with lower vaccine hesitancy. Greater vaccine conspiracy beliefs associated with higher vaccine hesitancy. However, in the presence of perceived vulnerability to disease, vaccine conspiracy beliefs associated with higher fear of COVID-19 and thereby lower vaccine hesitancy. We found under circumstances of higher perceived vulnerability to disease and fear of COVID-19, vaccine conspiratorial believers were less vaccine hesitant. We discuss how public health messaging can highlight personal risks to contracting COVID-19 to appeal to those who self-identify as disease prone, but may have reservations about vaccines because of misinformation. Successfully combating diseases entails reaching and gaining cooperation from misbelievers because misinformation is expected to continue in the digital age. By understand individual differences to vaccine hesitancy, it can help increase vaccinations and prevent severe illnesses in the post COVID-19 pandemic era.

RESUMEN

To help inform post-COVID-19 pandemic practical health policies, the researchers created the COVID-19 vaccine misinformation scale (CVMS). During the COVID-19 pandemic, falsehoods spread online which casted doubt and concerns about the vaccine. Example misconceptions included vaccination leads to greater vulnerability to other illness and would alter someone's DNA. The researchers performed two large surveys with U.S. participants. The researchers reviewed debunked COVID-19 vaccine falsehoods online. Construction of the CVMS followed standard psychometric scale development steps. Statistical analysis provided support for the 10-item CVMS with satisfactory reliability, discriminant validity, and convergent validity. Predictive validity regression analysis demonstrated the CVMS associated with higher vaccine hesitancy. The prevalence of vaccine misbeliefs broadened pandemic healthcare challenges. On top of existing duties, healthcare workers had to explain vaccine efficacy and safety to dispel fallacies. The researchers discuss implications for the CVMS within the context of motivated reasoning theory.

RESUMEN

Political marketing campaigns expend enormous effort each campaign season to influence voter turnout. This cyclical democratic process and nonstop news cycle foster an environment of media malaise. Voter pessimism undercuts participation through increased perceived alikeness among ballot options. Differentiation and consolidation theory describe the voting decision process as reconciling rational and irrational information. Voters seek out differences to decide among presented options. More politically interested voters are more likely to vote. Counterintuitively, higher political organizational avocational interest is related to higher perceived alikeness. Across three studies, higher perceived alikeness of parties, candidates, and issues was related to a lower likelihood to vote (LTV). Conditional voting ineffectual beliefs exacerbated these indirect effects on LTV. In a saturated marketing atmosphere with massive spending during each election cycle, we discuss implications to influence LTV based on results.

RESUMEN

COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that killed hundreds of thousands of people and crippled the tourism industry. Despite potential death, many people resumed life as if there was no pandemic. The obscure nature of diseases and overly optimistic beliefs about personal health fostered a unique COVID-19 cavalier phenomenon. These people professed, "It's just like the flu." Many engaged in passive (e.g., ignoring mask policies) and active (e.g., COVID parties) behaviors that risked exposure, believing it will generate safe immunity. The COVID-19 cavalier believe they are invulnerable to major adverse complications and communal exposure results in immunity. Identifying and understanding caviler individuals will help control the spread of diseases and reopen society for tourism. The design and validation of the 9-item COVID-19 cavalier scale (CCS) provided a tool for researchers to study these individuals. The economical measure demonstrated discriminant validity with practical public health traveling implications.

RESUMEN

The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic devastated the world economy. Global infections and deaths altered the behaviors of generations. The Internet acted as an incredible vehicle for communication but was also a source of unfounded rumors. Unfortunately, this freedom of information sharing and fear of COVID-19 fostered unfounded claims about transmission (e.g., 5G networks spread the disease). With negligible enforcement to stop the spread of rumors and government officials spouting unfounded claims, falsities became ubiquitous. Organizations, public health officials, researchers, and businesses spent limited resources addressing rumors instead of implementing policies to overcome challenges (e.g., speaking to defiant mask wearers versus safe reopening actions). The researchers defined COVID-19 transmission misinformation as false beliefs about the spread and prevention of contracting the disease. Design and validation of the 12-item COVID-19 Transmission Misinformation Scale (CTMS) provides a measure to identify transmission misinformation believers. Indirect COVID-19 transmission misinformation beliefs with a fear of COVID-19 decreased wearing a mask in public intentions. Callousness exacerbated COVID-19 transmission misinformation beliefs as a moderator.

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RESUMEN

The COVID-19 pandemic uprooted economies, infected millions, and altered behaviors. Yet, the invisible nature of the disease, paralleled symptoms to the common flu, and misinformation generated COVID-19 disbelief. Many believed COVID-19 was a hoax. Many believed case numbers were fabricated. Others claimed it was a ruse for sociopolitical reasons. The construction of the 8-item COVID-19 Disbelief Scale (CDS) measures the false belief COVID-19 was not real and life-threatening. The CDS demonstrated discriminant validity and robust reliability across two studies. Predictive analysis evinced COVID-19 disbelievers feared COVID-19 less and had lower intent to get vaccinated. In the U.S., certain religious organizations spread misinformation. Religiosity associated with greater COVID-19 disbelief. Among disbelievers, conditional indirect effects of religiosity associated with greater COVID-19 fear and higher intent to get vaccinated. The moderated mediation model validated utility of the CDS as a concise instrument to study variable relationships.

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