Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 8, 2021

Measuring the Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation on Vaccination Intent in the UK and USA

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A randomized controlled trial exposing participants to either misinformation or factual information about COVID-19 vaccines found that among people who at baseline stated they would definitely accept the vaccine, exposure to misinformation led to a 6.2 percentage point reduction in vaccine intent among participants in the UK and a 6.4 percentage point reduction among US participants. Before treatment allocation, as of September 2020, 54.1% of UK respondents and 42.5% of US respondents reported that they would ‘definitely’ accept a COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves. Exposure to misinformation also differently impacted intent to vaccinate according to different socioeconomic factors.

Loomba et al. (Feb 5, 2021). Measuring the Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation on Vaccination Intent in the UK and USA. Nature Human Behaviour. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01056-1