Researchers at Texas Tech University discovered that vaccination skeptics overestimate dangers associated with other causes of mortality.
Tyler Davis, an associate professor of experimental psychology at TTU, and Mark LaCour, a doctoral student in psychological sciences, recently published their findings in the journal Vaccine.
The main drivers of vaccine hesitancy include a predilection for believing in conspiracy theories, distrust of the medical system, media exposure, and a preference for alternative medicine. They also note distal causes, such as fear of needles and excessive emotional reactivity toward world events.
Davis and LaCour sought a foundational belief system underlying the numerous causes for vaccine skepticism. They surveyed 158 participants to discover that thread: those hesitant toward vaccines are more often than not skeptical of any potential threat.
Participants were asked to rate the frequency of death associated with 40 separate instances, including cancers, fireworks, and car accidents. Those who overestimated the rate of vaccine deaths also overshot when it came to other causes of mortality.
As a control, each volunteer was asked to rate the frequency of neutral or positive events, such as how many Willie Nelson concerts or papal visits occur. Vaccine skeptics did not overestimate these percentages nearly as often.
LaCour notes that skeptics appear to exhibit poor judgment in regards to probability. "They might be more easily swayed by anecdotal horror stories," he says.
