Distrustful complacency and the COVID-19 vaccine: How concern and political trust interact to affect vaccine hesitancy [post]

Fanny Lalot, Dominic Abrams, Maria Sophia Heering, Jacinta Babaian, Hilal özkeçeci, Linus Peitz, Kaya Davies Hayon, Jo Broadwood
2021 unpublished
We test the hypothesis that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is attributable to 'distrustful complacency' – an interactive and not just additive combination of concern and distrust. Across two studies, 9695 respondents across 13 different parts of Britain reported their level of concern about COVID-19, trust in the UK government, and intention to accept or refuse the vaccine. Multilevel regression analysis, controlling for geographic area and relevant demographics, confirmed the predicted interactive
more » ... effect of concern and trust. Respondents with both low trust and low concern were 10%-22% more vaccine hesitant than respondents with either high trust or high concern, and 20%-29% more hesitant than respondents with both high trust and high concern. Results hold equally among White, Black, and Muslim respondents, consistent with the view that, regardless of mean level differences, a common process underlies vaccine hesitancy, underlining the importance of tackling distrustful complacency both generally and specifically amongst unvaccinated individuals and populations.
doi:10.31234/osf.io/y9amb fatcat:fbzfxjgynjexrkoafqk45skqjy