Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Exploring the Association between Misinformation Endorsement, Opinions on the Government Response, Risk Perception, and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the US, Canada, and Italy

Elena Savoia
,
Nigel Walsh Harriman
* ORCID logo ,
Rachael Piltch-Loeb
,
Marco Bonetti
ORCID logo ,
Veronica Toffolutti
,
Marcia A. Testa
Version 1 : Received: 18 March 2022 / Approved: 21 March 2022 / Online: 21 March 2022 (10:29:33 CET)

How to cite: Savoia, E.; Harriman, N.W.; Piltch-Loeb, R.; Bonetti, M.; Toffolutti, V.; Testa, M.A. Exploring the Association between Misinformation Endorsement, Opinions on the Government Response, Risk Perception, and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the US, Canada, and Italy. Preprints.org 2022, 2022030283. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202203.0283.v1 Savoia, E.; Harriman, N.W.; Piltch-Loeb, R.; Bonetti, M.; Toffolutti, V.; Testa, M.A. Exploring the Association between Misinformation Endorsement, Opinions on the Government Response, Risk Perception, and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the US, Canada, and Italy. Preprints.org 2022, 2022030283. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202203.0283.v1

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the adverse consequences created by an infodemic specifically on compliance with public health guidance and vaccine uptake. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a complex construct that is related to health beliefs, misinformation exposure, and perceptions of governmental institutions. This study draws on theoretical models and current data on the COVID-19 infodemic to explore the association between perceived risk of COVID-19, levels of misinformation endorsement, and opinions about the government response on vaccine uptake. We surveyed a sample of 2,697 respondents from the US, Canada, and Italy using a mobile platform between 21-28 May, 2021. Using multivariate regression, we found that country of residence, risk perception of contracting and spreading COVID-19, perception of government response and transparency, and misinformation endorsement was associated with the odds of vaccine hesitancy. Higher perceived risk was associated with lower odds of hesitancy, while lower perceptions of government response, and higher misinformation endorsement were associated with higher hesitancy.

Keywords

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy; Misinformation; Government Actions; Communication

Subject

Social Sciences, Government

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Download PDF Download Supplementary

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0
Get PDF Supplementary Files Cite Share 0
Bookmark BibSonomy Mendeley Reddit Delicious
×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.