How early onset of COVID-19 changed vaccine-related attitudes: A longitudinal study

The paper investigates how the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the attitudes and beliefs of a previously anti-vaccine and vaccine-undecided population: how it changed their anti-vaccine beliefs and related arguments, perceptions of scientists’ credibility, as well as what their beliefs about COVID-19 are and what protective action they undertake against it. We used preexisting data from a 2018 study, where we identified groups of anti-vaccine and vaccine-undecided individuals (N = 365) whom we reached out to again in April/May 2020 (during the first months of the pandemic, when no COVID-19 vaccine was available). An online survey was used to measure changes in attitudes toward vaccination, reasons for vaccine rejection, attitudes toward scientists, and (at Measure 2) to measure attitudes toward COVID-19 and protective action against it. Results indicated a general pro-vaccine shift in attitudes, as well as reduced support for all anti-vaccine arguments. Surprisingly, we also found a negative shift in the sample’s perceptions of scientists’ agency and communion. Anti-vaccine individuals were also much less likely to employ any protective measures and had the lowest levels of fear associated with COVID-19. These results show that the initial stages of the COVID-19 outbreak caused a positive change in vaccine attitudes, especially in the vaccine-undecided group. At the same time, strongly anti-vaccine individuals were likely to reject protection against COVID.