Vaccination, Values, and Health Information Search Behaviour in the New Folk Medicine

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused rapid changes within our societies. Nowhere is this more evident than health information seeking behaviour (HISB) such that medical and governmental websites, general search engines, and social media platforms were relied upon to retrieve credible information. Using state-level measures of conformity bias (cultural tightness) and conservatism in the US and a province-level measure of conservativism in Canada, the present study considers the relationship between cultural tightness, conservativism, and vaccination rates. The analyses demonstrate that cultural tightness and conservatism were associated with lower levels of vaccination and a reduced rate of vaccination. Replicating previous studies, this study also represents a correlation between internet HISB and consequential health behaviours, in this case, changes in vaccination rate and regional mobility.