Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic unveiled the growing politicization of science and vaccination. Public health measures and vaccinations have become polarizing political topics in the US, with studies indicating that conservatives and Republicans are less inclined to trust science and public health officials. This has been fueled by conspiracy theories and misinformation promoted by former president Trump, mainstream conservative media, and right-wing influencers. In the UK, political affiliation did not show a significant link with vaccination. Vaccination rates in Israel were higher among supporters of the ruling political party. By conducting an extensive literature review in all three countries, we examine the potential impact of political affiliation on the likelihood of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, a random-effects meta-analysis was conducted on six cross-sectional studies in the US. Findings indicate that Democrats were 2.56 times more likely to take the vaccine (95% CI: 1.86-3.52, p-value<0.001). Standardized data show that the Israeli political transition in June 2021 significantly impacted the third-dose vaccination campaign. While the US is facing a clear and distinctive political divide over COVID-19 vaccination, research from both the US and UK shows that those who follow right-wing influencers have the lowest faith in the vaccine. Notably, evidence from the three nations suggests a link between particular political beliefs and a greater aversion to vaccinations, potentially influencing both followers and critics of the ruling party. In a fragile democracy era, further reports are necessary to assess the assumption better while considering other factors, such as educational attainment.
Presenters
Yonatan AmirStudent, PhD Candidate, University of Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain Sharon Haleva Amir
Assistant Professor, School of Communication, Bar Ilan University, Israel
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Health for Democracy, Democracy for Health
KEYWORDS
Meta-Analysis; Comparative Study; Vaccine Hesitancy; COVID-19; Political Affiliation
Digital Media
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