Older individuals are prone to be vaccinated no matter get together affiliation
New analysis from the College of Georgia suggests age and danger notion could have as a lot of an impact on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance as get together affiliation.
“There’s been lots of consideration to political ideology as a barrier to COVID-19 vaccination acceptance,” mentioned Glen Nowak, corresponding creator of the research and professor within the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. “What we present in our survey was that’s not a lot true as folks become old. Present CDC protection knowledge affirms this. People who find themselves 65 and older are virtually universally vaccinated, significantly as you begin attending to 75 and older.”
The nationally consultant survey of greater than 1,000 folks examined how demographic traits—reminiscent of age and intercourse, political ideology and information supply choice—associated to views on COVID-19 and vaccine intent.
Respondents who have been age 50 or older thought-about themselves extra in danger for extreme sickness from the coronavirus. They usually have been extra involved that catching the virus would negatively affect their each day lives.
Youthful Individuals have been much less prone to think about themselves liable to extreme sickness. They’re additionally much less prone to fear about contracting the virus and fewer prone to preserve themselves updated on the most recent COVID-related information.
Glen Nowak
“Taking a look at 18- to 29-year-olds, it’s not stunning that they’re the group with the bottom total COVID vaccination charges as a result of they’re not a gaggle that’s struggling critical sickness and demise from COVID,” mentioned Nowak, who additionally serves as co-director of UGA’s Heart for Well being and Threat Communication. “Are there situations of that? Completely. Nevertheless it’s comparatively uncommon. I feel many individuals in that age group perceive that.”
Extra COVID-19 info isn’t at all times higher
Revealed within the Worldwide Journal of Strategic Communication, the study discovered that political affiliation and the place members bought their information have been essentially the most constant predictors of how a person felt about their COVID-19 danger degree and their vaccine intent.
Liberals within the research considered the virus as a much bigger risk to their each day lives than conservatives. They apprehensive about turning into ailing, believed signs can be extreme and expressed concern that they might move the illness to others. They have been additionally extra prone to settle for the vaccine and belief authority figures just like the CDC and FDA.
Each liberals and moderates believed medical care and remedy can be harder to entry than conservatives.
Many individuals who … mentioned that they checked out a broad spectrum of knowledge sources got here away much less assured and extra unsure concerning the vaccine and its worth.” —Glen Nowak, Grady Faculty of Journalism & Mass Communication
Surprisingly, individuals who mentioned they get their COVID-19 information from a wide range of sources, each conservative and liberal, have been extra prone to be vaccine hesitant than those that caught to partisan information sources.
“Should you had requested us earlier than we this research, we’d have mentioned fairly confidently that individuals who have been taking a look at a wide selection of knowledge can be more likely to be vaccinated and have rather more confidence within the vaccine,” Nowak mentioned. “What this steered was the other in lots of situations. Many individuals who tried or mentioned that they checked out a broad spectrum of knowledge sources got here away much less assured and extra unsure concerning the vaccine and its worth.”
Public well being ought to tailor messages to the proper audiences
The variations between members on the proper, left or center spotlight the necessity to tailor COVID-19 messaging to totally different populations, Nowak mentioned.
Those that aren’t in a high-risk class, like younger adults, rapidly understand that they’re unlikely to get actually sick from the coronavirus and largely tune out public well being schooling efforts.
Communications to those populations ought to concentrate on extra practical conditions for them, Nowak mentioned. For instance, emphasize that there aren’t nice therapies accessible to deal with sufferers if they’re one of many few who do want hospitalization.
“This knowledge exhibits you possibly can’t assume curiosity and a spotlight from youthful folks and people who are much less affected by COVID-19,” Nowak mentioned. “It’s an excellent reminder that we are able to’t simply blast, ‘All people needs to be afraid of getting extreme COVID.’ That’s not an efficient communication technique.”
This research was co-authored by Michael Cacciatore, an affiliate professor within the Grady Faculty and co-director of the Heart for Well being and Threat Communications.
