The association between vaccination status identification and societal polarization
- Author(s)
- Luca Henkel, Philipp Sprengholz, Lars Korn, Cornelia Betsch, Robert Böhm
- Abstract
Public discord between those vaccinated and those unvaccinated for COVID-19 has intensified globally. Theories of intergroup relations propose that identifying with one’s social group plays a key role in the perceptions and behaviours that fuel intergroup conflict. We test whether identification with one’s vaccination status is associated with current societal polarization. The study draws on panel data from samples of vaccinated (n = 3,267) and unvaccinated (n = 2,038) respondents in Germany and Austria that were collected in December 2021 and February, March and July 2022. The findings confirm that vaccination status identification (VSI) explains substantial variance in a range of polarizing attitudes and behaviours. VSI was also related to higher psychological reactance toward mandatory vaccination policies among the unvaccinated. Higher levels of VSI reduced the gap between intended and actual counterbehaviours over time by the unvaccinated. VSI appears to be an important measure for predicting behavioural responses to vaccination policies.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Occupational, Economic and Social Psychology
- External organisation(s)
- University of Copenhagen, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Universität Erfurt, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine
- Journal
- Nature Human Behaviour
- Volume
- 7
- Pages
- 231-239
- No. of pages
- 9
- ISSN
- 2397-3374
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01469-6
- Publication date
- 11-2022
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 501021 Social psychology
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/ad1b78e6-383c-4c49-85b9-bea9762dc69e