Prosocial vaccination

Author(s)
Robert Böhm, Cornelia Betsch
Abstract

Most vaccines not only directly protect vaccinated individuals but also provide a social benefit through community protection. Therefore, vaccination can be considered a prosocial act to protect others. We review the recent empirical evidence on (i) how prosocial concerns relate to vaccination intentions and (ii) promoting prosocial vaccination through explaining community protection or inducing concern for vulnerable others. The available evidence suggests that promoting the prosocial aspect of vaccinations could be a vaccination communication strategy to improve vaccine uptake. We point to several areas in which future research can test the boundary conditions of this approach and increase its effectiveness.

Organisation(s)
Department of Occupational, Economic and Social Psychology
External organisation(s)
University of Copenhagen, Universität Erfurt
Journal
Current Opinion in Psychology
Volume
43
Pages
307-311
No. of pages
5
ISSN
2352-250X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.010
Publication date
02-2022
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
501021 Social psychology
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Psychology(all)
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/prosocial-vaccination(5f8e3177-da0a-461b-986f-caca3b577281).html