In their study, Czech scientists described the so-called covid vaccination paradox

Prague, November 24 (TASR) – Educated people trust vaccination as such least of all. However, they support vaccination against COVID-19 the most. This so-called The covid vaccination paradox was described in their study by scientists from Masaryk University in Brno and Charles University (UK) in Prague.

In December 2020, as the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic culminated, people’s confidence in vaccination as such fell sharply compared with 2018. People with higher education and higher income tend to have lower confidence in vaccination. As many as two-fifths (40 percent) of university-educated Czechs express uncertainty or outright distrust in connection with vaccination, which is the highest among all educational groups in the Czech Republic.

“While 85 percent of people trusted vaccination in the run-up to the pandemic, it was only 64 percent in December 2020. In particular, the proportion of people who are hesitant to be vaccinated has grown from 12 percent in 2018 to 30 percent in 2020.” Tomáš Zvoníček, a member of the research team from Masaryk University, presents the results of the study. According to him, one of the possible reasons for this change is the pandemic, which turned a rather specific topic, especially concerning parents of young children, into a topic that affects everyone.

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However, the opposite rule applies to the willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19: the more educated people are, the greater their willingness to be vaccinated against the disease. These findings stem from a pilot study of research called The Contemporary Czech Family, according to the Masaryk University website.

“In April 2021, 60 percent of those with a university degree said they would be vaccinated against covid, while the same proportion (61 percent) of people with primary education refused to be vaccinated at the time or had not yet decided.” Zvoníček stated.

According to researchers at Masaryk University, the willingness to vaccinate against covid is surprisingly only slightly related to the attitude towards vaccination as such. “This creates a kind of covid vaccination paradox. Although university-educated people are the most critical of vaccination as such, they also show the highest willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19,” added Martin Kreidl, head of the research team at Masaryk University.

According to scientists, the explanation of the described paradox in people with a university degree can be found in the broader context of trust in vaccination. Confidence in vaccination is generally increasing along with greater confidence in government and institutions, and this confidence is typical of those with higher education.

“Educated elites seem to be able to have greater confidence in institutions to overcome perceived risks and concerns about vaccination, and to undergo coronavirus vaccination, for example, for pragmatic reasons. which, however, may no longer have the appropriate resources to overcome mistrust and thus reject the application of vaccination, “ added Kreidl.