Beyond Deterrence: Experimental Study of Factors Influencing Perceived Legitimacy and Compliance With Mandatory Vaccination

Abstract

For the law to function effectively in society, it must not only be enforced but also promote compliance, particularly in emotionally charged, polarized, or uncertain situations. This study explores the impact of legal sanction stringency and perceived sanction risk on the perceived legitimacy of and willingness to comply with mandatory vaccination laws in Czechia post-COVID-19. Using a 4 × 2 experimental design, we examined the effects of four sanction stringency levels and two levels of perceived sanction risk, alongside variables like trust in institutions, fear of disease, vaccination attitudes, and conspiracy beliefs, on a representative general sample. The findings provided no support for deterrence; neither sanction stringency nor perceived risk affected perceived legitimacy or compliance willingness, except for a small negative effect of the most stringent sanction. Perceived legitimacy, however, had a strong link to compliance willingness, and vaccine attitudes influenced both. Trust in institutions, fear of disease, and conspiracy beliefs were associated with perceived legitimacy but not compliance. These results challenge traditional views on legal creation and enforcement.