Title
Communicating vaccination coverage: testing the selfish versus the social rationality hypothesis
Creator
Lazić, Aleksandra, 1992-
CONOR:
14743143
Copyright date
2025
Object Links
Select license
Autorstvo-Nekomercijalno 3.0 Srbija (CC BY-NC 3.0)
License description
Dozvoljavate umnožavanje, distribuciju i javno saopštavanje dela, i prerade, ako se navede ime autora na način odredjen od strane autora ili davaoca licence. Ova licenca ne dozvoljava komercijalnu upotrebu dela. Osnovni opis Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/rs/deed.sr_LATN Sadržaj ugovora u celini: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/rs/legalcode.sr-Latn
Language
Serbian
Cobiss-ID
Theses Type
Doktorska disertacija
description
Datum odbrane: 24.11.2025.
Other responsibilities
Academic Expertise
Društveno-humanističke nauke
University
Univerzitet u Beogradu
Faculty
Filozofski fakultet
Alternative title
Komunikacija obuhvata vakcinom: provera pretpostavki modela sebične naspram modela socijalne racionalnosti
Publisher
[A. S. Lazić]
Format
130 str.
description
Psychology - Social psychology / Psihologija - Socijalna psihologija
Abstract (en)
We explored how communicating vaccination coverage affects vaccination intentions. We compared contrasting hypotheses drawing from two theoretical models: selfish rationality and social rationality. The selfish-rational model suggests high coverage reduces motivation by encouraging free-riding on herd immunity, while the social-rational model sees high coverage as a positive descriptive norm that increases motivation. Both suggest the opposite effect at low coverage. A content analysis of 160 Serbian online news articles from the 2017 measles outbreak found that vaccination coverage was often framed negatively (e.g., “only 50% vaccinated”), lacked context and numerical precision, and rarely included explanations of herd immunity. Such reporting reinforces undesirable social norms, while failing to convey the broader societal benefits of immunization. Across all experiments (N = 1076; Hedges’ g = 0.21), communicating high country-level coverage (80–90%) generally increased vaccination intention compared to conditions when low (10–20%) or no coverage was communicated. This insight alone has limited practical use, as coverage values must be reported as they are. We therefore experimentally tested how appeals to individual (protecting oneself), social (protecting others), and collective benefits (stopping the disease) influence vaccination intentions at different levels of vaccination coverage. One effective intervention was emphasizing the social benefits of herd immunity via text and an animated infographic (N = 543; Hedges’ g = 0.23), conceptually replicating a previous finding; incorporating coverage or herd immunity threshold information had no further effect. Another successful intervention, this time in a setting of moderate coverage (60%), was appealing to individual benefits of vaccination (N = 265; Hedges’ g = 0.16). In a separate experiment (N = 217), irrespective of vaccination-coverage level, participants who opted for vaccination commonly endorsed both self-interested and prosocial reasons, while non-vaccination was typically justified by personal risk calculations and the belief that vaccination was unnecessary. Free-riding was rarely endorsed, and descriptive norms were seen as more relevant for vaccination than non-vaccination. Open-ended responses also highlighted (mis)trust in science and vaccines as an important reason. Our findings support the social-rational view more than the selfish-rational one, but also highlight the limitations of applying either model rigidly. We argue that public health messaging should reflect reasonableness, understood as a context-sensitive balancing of individual and social considerations. We discussed directions for future research, such as communicating dynamic norms (changes in coverage) and tailored messaging. By refining theoretical assumptions, using a multi-method approach, and offering practical recommendations, this work helps us better understand and support vaccination decisions in a complex, socially interdependent world.
Abstract (sr)
Istraživali smo kako komunikacija obuhvata vakcinom utiče na nameru da se vakcina primi. Poredili smo suprotstavljene pretpostavke proistekle iz dva teorijska modela: sebične racionalnosti i socijalne racionalnosti. Prema modelu sebične racionalnosti, visok obuhvat vakcinom smanjuje motivaciju jer podstiče grebatorstvo (eng. free-riding) o kolektivni imunitet, dok model socijalne racionalnosti visok obuhvat vidi kao pozitivnu deskriptivnu normu koja povećava motivaciju. Oba modela predviđaju suprotan efekat u slučaju niskog obuhvata. Analiza sadržaja 160 tekstova sa srpskih portal vesti tokom epidemije malih boginja 2017. godine pokazala je da se obuhvat vakcinom često uokviravao negativno (npr. „samo 50% vakcinisanih”), te da mu je nedostajao kontekst i numerička preciznost, kao i da je kolektivni imunitet retko kada pojašnjen. Takvo izveštavanje u prvi plan stavlja nepoželjne socijalne norme, dok se ne prenosi poruka o široj društvenoj koristi od imunizacije. U svim eksperimentima (N = 1076; Hedžisov g = 0,21), komunikacija visokog obuhvata (80–90%) na nivou države generalno je povećavala nameru da se primi vakcina u poređenju niskim obuhvatom (10–20%) odnosno sa situacijama kada on uopšte nije saopštavan. Ovaj uvid sam po sebi ima ograničenu praktičnu primenu jer vrednosti obuhvata vakcinom moraju biti prikazane onakvima kakve jesu. Stoga smo eksperimentalno testirali kako apeli na individualnu (zaštita sebe), socijalnu (zaštita drugih) i kolektivnu dobit (zaustavljanje bolesti) utiču na nameru da se primi vakcina na različitim nivoima obuhvata. Jedna efikasna intervencija bila je isticanje socijalnih koristi kolektivnog imuniteta putem teksta i animiranog infografika (N = 543; Hedžisov g = 0,23), čime je konceptualno repliciran prethodni nalaz; uključivanje informacija o obuhvatu ili pragu kolektivnog imuniteta nije imalo dodatni efekat. Još jedna uspešna intervencija, ovog puta u uslovima umerenog obuhvata (60%), bila je apelovanje na individualnu dobit (N = 265; Hedžisov g = 0,16). U zasebnom eksperimentu (N = 217), bez obzira na nivo obuhvata, učesnici koji su se odlučivali na vakcinaciju su obično podržavali i razloge zasnovane na ličnom interesu i prosocijalne razloge, dok je nevakcinacija pretežno opravdavana proračunima ličnog rizika i uverenjem da vakcinacija nije potrebna. Grebatorstvo je retko podržavano, a deskriptivne norme su smatrane važnijima za vakcinaciju nego za nevakcinaciju. Otvoreni odgovori su dodatno ukazali na (ne)poverenje u nauku i vakcine kao bitan razlog. Naši rezultati podržavaju pre model socijalne nego model sebične racionalnosti, ali ukazuju i na ograničenja krute primene bilo kog modela. Predlažemo da poruke u javnom zdravlju treba da odražavaju razložnost ili razumnost, shvaćenu kao kontekstualno osetljivo balansiranje individualnih i društvenih aspekata. Razmatrali smo predloge za buduća istraživanja, kao što su komunikacija dinamičkih normi (promena u obuhvatu) i ukrajanje poruka. Produbljivanjem teorijskih pretpostavki, primenom multimetodskog pristupa i davanjem praktičnih preporuka, ovaj rad nam pomaže da bolje razumemo i podržimo odluke o vakcinaciji u složenom, društveno međuzavisnom svetu.
Authors Key words
vaccination, vaccination decision-making, rationality, social dilemmas, free riding, social norms, health communication, public health, herd immunity, online media
Authors Key words
vakcinacija, odlučivanje o vakcinaciji, racionalnost, socijalne dileme, grebatorstvo, socijalne norme, komunikacija o zdravlju, javno zdravlje, kolektivni imunitet, onlajn mediji
Classification
316.64:614.47(043.3)
Type
Tekst
Abstract (en)
We explored how communicating vaccination coverage affects vaccination intentions. We compared contrasting hypotheses drawing from two theoretical models: selfish rationality and social rationality. The selfish-rational model suggests high coverage reduces motivation by encouraging free-riding on herd immunity, while the social-rational model sees high coverage as a positive descriptive norm that increases motivation. Both suggest the opposite effect at low coverage. A content analysis of 160 Serbian online news articles from the 2017 measles outbreak found that vaccination coverage was often framed negatively (e.g., “only 50% vaccinated”), lacked context and numerical precision, and rarely included explanations of herd immunity. Such reporting reinforces undesirable social norms, while failing to convey the broader societal benefits of immunization. Across all experiments (N = 1076; Hedges’ g = 0.21), communicating high country-level coverage (80–90%) generally increased vaccination intention compared to conditions when low (10–20%) or no coverage was communicated. This insight alone has limited practical use, as coverage values must be reported as they are. We therefore experimentally tested how appeals to individual (protecting oneself), social (protecting others), and collective benefits (stopping the disease) influence vaccination intentions at different levels of vaccination coverage. One effective intervention was emphasizing the social benefits of herd immunity via text and an animated infographic (N = 543; Hedges’ g = 0.23), conceptually replicating a previous finding; incorporating coverage or herd immunity threshold information had no further effect. Another successful intervention, this time in a setting of moderate coverage (60%), was appealing to individual benefits of vaccination (N = 265; Hedges’ g = 0.16). In a separate experiment (N = 217), irrespective of vaccination-coverage level, participants who opted for vaccination commonly endorsed both self-interested and prosocial reasons, while non-vaccination was typically justified by personal risk calculations and the belief that vaccination was unnecessary. Free-riding was rarely endorsed, and descriptive norms were seen as more relevant for vaccination than non-vaccination. Open-ended responses also highlighted (mis)trust in science and vaccines as an important reason. Our findings support the social-rational view more than the selfish-rational one, but also highlight the limitations of applying either model rigidly. We argue that public health messaging should reflect reasonableness, understood as a context-sensitive balancing of individual and social considerations. We discussed directions for future research, such as communicating dynamic norms (changes in coverage) and tailored messaging. By refining theoretical assumptions, using a multi-method approach, and offering practical recommendations, this work helps us better understand and support vaccination decisions in a complex, socially interdependent world.
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