Date of Award

8-2024

Degree Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

School

Social Science and Global Studies

Committee Chair

Dr. Sharon Young

Committee Chair School

Social Science and Global Studies

Committee Member 2

Dr. Marie Danforth

Committee Member 2 School

Social Science and Global Studies

Committee Member 3

Dr. Allison Formanack

Committee Member 3 School

Social Science and Global Studies

Committee Member 4

Dr. Susan Mayfield-Johnson

Committee Member 4 School

Health Professions

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy – a delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccines despite their availability – is a rising threat to global health and has increased in recent years in higher income countries. This is a complex phenomenon with the potential to undo decades of progress toward eradicating communicable diseases. The recent COVID-19 pandemic introduced a new wave of vaccine hesitancy, with evangelical Christians as leading actors in the movement away from vaccines in the United States. The present study investigated factors related to vaccine hesitancy and sources of health-related information among members of evangelical Christian churches in and around Hattiesburg, MS.

Data was collected using passive participation at evangelical church events and services, and an online survey focusing on vaccine beliefs and experiences, perspectives on the relationship between religion and government, and sources of vaccine information. Survey responses were analyzed using one-way ANOVAs and Pearson correlations to identify sources of vaccine information and relationships between information sources, vaccine beliefs, and Christian national sentiments. In this sample, vaccine hesitancy was related to distrust of doctors, government organizations, charitable organizations, and books as sources of vaccine information. Christian national beliefs were also significantly correlated with vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine hesitant participants reported less distrust in sources related to their social network and support, lower belief in the severity of and susceptibility to vaccine-preventable diseases, and that there were neither benefits nor barriers to getting vaccinated. These results can be used to inform public health campaigns aimed at improving protection from vaccine preventable diseases in hesitant individuals.

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