Vaccine scepticism ‘more common among conspiracy theory believers’

People with an inclination to believe in conspiracy theories are more likely to consider vaccines to be unsafe, even in the face of scientific evidence to the contrary.

This is according to a new study from the University of Queensland, which was the first to test the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and anti-vaccination attitudes among a global sample of 5,323 people from 24 countries across five continents.

It was found that those with strong beliefs in conspiracies – such as that Princess Diana was murdered, that the American government were complicit in the 9/11 attacks and that shadowy elites control the world – were most likely to hold anti-vaccination attitudes, regardless of where they lived.

Levels of education had a very small impact on vaccine scepticism, which was also linked to individualistic worldviews and intolerance of those who place limits on personal freedoms, as well as an aversion towards blood and needles.

Lead researcher Dr Matthew Hornsey of the University of Queensland said: "People often develop attitudes through emotional and gut responses. Simply repeating evidence makes little difference to those who have anti-vaccination attitudes."

It was suggested that these attitudes could be combated more effectively by acknowledging the possibility of conspiracies, while also highlighting how vested interests exist on both sides of the argument.

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