Prosocial orientation and COVID‐19 vaccine willingness in the U.S.

Abstract

AbstractDespite evidence of the safety and effectiveness of COVID‐19 vaccines and their wide availability, many in the U.S. are not vaccinated. Research demonstrates that prosocial orientations predict COVID‐19 health behaviors (e.g., social distancing) and vaccination intentions, however, little work has examined COVID‐19 vaccination willingness in the U.S. since vaccines were approved. Findings from two U.S. samples show that, in contrast to other COVID‐19 health behaviors, vaccine willingness in unvaccinated people is unrelated to prosocial orientation. Study 2 demonstrates that the lack of association between vaccine willingness and prosocial orientation in unvaccinated participants was specific to those with stronger beliefs that COVID‐19 vaccines are ineffective. Thus, in prosocial people, perceptions of vaccines' ineffectiveness may undermine COVID‐19 vaccine willingness.