Anti-vaccination attitudes are associated with less analytical and more intuitive reasoning

ABSTRACT

Online anti-vaccination rhetoric has produced far reaching negative health consequences. Persons who endorse anti-vaccination attitudes may employ less analytical reasoning when problem solving. Considering limitations in previous research, we used an online web-based survey (n = 760; mean age = 47.69; 388 males, 372 females) to address this question. Analytical reasoning was negatively correlated with anti-vaccination attitudes (r = −.18, p < .0001). This relationship remained significant after statistically controlling for potential confounders, including age, sex, education, and religiosity (r = −.16, p < .0001). We hope that elucidating the cognitive, non-information-based aspects of anti-vaccination attitudes will help to guide effective educational interventions aimed at improving public health in the future.

KEYWORDS:

• Cognitive reflection test
• CRT
• vaccination attitudes examination scale
• VAX
• anti-vaccine

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation. The authors declare no financial or personal conflicts in interest in relation to the current study;Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute [n/a];