Media consumption and COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy: health literacy as a response

ABSTRACT

This study explored the influence media consumption (i.e. news websites, television networks, and social media) and health literacy have on COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy. Controlling for participant political affiliation and general vaccine hesitancy, results indicated that both social media consumption and health literacy significantly predicted COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, whereas news websites and television networks did not produce significant effects. Together, these results highlight the importance of health literacy-focused interventions, with an emphasis on social media-based content as a means of promoting COVID-19 literacy.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• vaccination hesitancy
• health literacy
• media consumption

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Upon request, the dataset used in the current study can be made available by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2023.2270904

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Andrew C. Tollison

Andrew C. Tollison (Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin) is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director in the Department of Communication and Media at Merrimack College. Dr. Tollison's research interests include how individuals communicatively cope with chronic illness, patient-provider interactions, and health literacy.

Ashley LoPresti

Ashley LoPresti (M.A., Merrimack College) is a Content Creator in the Office of the Provost at Merrimack College. Her research interests include health communication, interpersonal communication with a focus on societal practices, and corporate social responsibility