Vaccine Hesitation and Moral Persuasion Study
Abstract
It’s clear that overt, science-based messaging is not enough to persuade everyone to get the Covid-19 vaccine, no matter how encouraging the data. Previous research on vaccine-hesitant attitudes suggests their beliefs are more deeply rooted in moral values making them much more difficult to change. One promising approach to attitude change is moral reframing, or reframing messaging around the core basis of a person’s attitude or beliefs. This study tests that approach among Loyola Chicago undergraduate students. The results suggest beliefs around the Covid-19 vaccines have become moralized, yet they are amenable to using this communication technique.
Vaccine Hesitation and Moral Persuasion Study
It’s clear that overt, science-based messaging is not enough to persuade everyone to get the Covid-19 vaccine, no matter how encouraging the data. Previous research on vaccine-hesitant attitudes suggests their beliefs are more deeply rooted in moral values making them much more difficult to change. One promising approach to attitude change is moral reframing, or reframing messaging around the core basis of a person’s attitude or beliefs. This study tests that approach among Loyola Chicago undergraduate students. The results suggest beliefs around the Covid-19 vaccines have become moralized, yet they are amenable to using this communication technique.