scholarly journals Facebook Pages, the “Disneyland” Measles Outbreak, and Promotion of Vaccine Refusal as a Civil Right, 2009–2019

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (S3) ◽  
pp. S312-S318
Author(s):  
David A. Broniatowski ◽  
Amelia M. Jamison ◽  
Neil F. Johnson ◽  
Nicolás Velasquez ◽  
Rhys Leahy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Liberty ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Political Mobilization ◽  
State Legislation ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Us States ◽  
Vaccine Refusal ◽  
Measles Outbreak ◽  
Facebook Pages

Objectives. To understand changes in how Facebook pages frame vaccine opposition. Methods. We categorized 204 Facebook pages expressing vaccine opposition, extracting public posts through November 20, 2019. We analyzed posts from October 2009 through October 2019 to examine if pages’ content was coalescing. Results. Activity in pages promoting vaccine choice as a civil liberty increased in January 2015, April 2016, and January 2019 (t[76] = 11.33 [P < .001]; t[46] = 7.88 [P < .001]; and t[41] = 17.27 [P < .001], respectively). The 2019 increase was strongest in pages mentioning US states (t[41] = 19.06; P < .001). Discussion about vaccine safety decreased (rs[119] = −0.61; P < .001) while discussion about civil liberties increased (rs[119] = 0.33; Py < .001]). Page categories increasingly resembled one another (civil liberties: rs[119] = −0.50 [P < .001]; alternative medicine: rs[84] = −0.77 [P < .001]; conspiracy theories: rs[119] = −0.46 [P < .001]; morality: rs[106] = −0.65 [P < .001]; safety and efficacy: rs[119] = −0.46 [P < .001]). Conclusions. The “Disneyland” measles outbreak drew vaccine opposition into the political mainstream, followed by promotional campaigns conducted in pages framing vaccine refusal as a civil right. Political mobilization in state-focused pages followed in 2019. Public Health Implications. Policymakers should expect increasing attempts to alter state legislation associated with vaccine exemptions, potentially accompanied by fiercer lobbying from specific celebrities.

scholarly journals Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy on English-language Twitter

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Thelwall ◽  
Kayvan Kousha ◽  
Saheeda Thelwall
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Social Web ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Vaccine Refusal ◽  
Deep State

Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy seems likely to increase mortality rates and delay the easing of social distancing restrictions. Online platforms with large audiences may influence vaccine hesitancy by spreading fear and misinformation that is avoided by the mainstream media. Understanding what types of vaccine hesitancy information is shared on the popular social web site Twitter may therefore help to design interventions to address misleading attitudes. This study applies content analysis to a random sample of 446 vaccine hesitant Covid-19 tweets in English posted between 10 March and 5 December 2020. The main themes discussed were conspiracies, vaccine development speed, and vaccine safety. Most (79%) of those tweeting refusal to take a vaccine expressed right-wing opinions, fear of a deep state, or conspiracy theories. A substantial minority of vaccine refusers (18%) mainly tweeted non-politically about other themes. The topics on Twitter reflect vaccine concerns, but those stating vaccine refusal in non-political contexts may unsettle the wider Twitter network by reaching outside right-wing areas of Twitter.

scholarly journals Faster than warp speed: early attention to COVD-19 by anti-vaccine groups on Facebook

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth C Kalichman ◽  
Lisa A Eaton ◽  
Valerie A Earnshaw ◽  
Natalie Brousseau
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Government ◽  
Vaccine Information

Abstract Background The unprecedented rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines has faced SARS-CoV- (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy, which is partially fueled by the misinformation and conspiracy theories propagated by anti-vaccine groups on social media. Research is needed to better understand the early COVID-19 anti-vaccine activities on social media. Methods This study chronicles the social media posts concerning COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines by leading anti-vaccine groups (Dr Tenpenny on Vaccines, the National Vaccine Information Center [NVIC] the Vaccination Information Network [VINE]) and Vaccine Machine in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic (February–May 2020). Results Analysis of 2060 Facebook posts showed that anti-vaccine groups were discussing COVID-19 in the first week of February 2020 and were specifically discussing COVID-19 vaccines by mid-February 2020. COVID-19 posts by NVIC were more widely disseminated and showed greater influence than non-COVID-19 posts. Early COVID-19 posts concerned mistrust of vaccine safety and conspiracy theories. Conclusion Major anti-vaccine groups were sowing seeds of doubt on Facebook weeks before the US government launched its vaccine development program ‘Operation Warp Speed’. Early anti-vaccine misinformation campaigns outpaced public health messaging and hampered the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines.

scholarly journals The Role of Emotional Competences in Parents’ Vaccine Hesitancy

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 298
Author(s):  
Teresa Gavaruzzi ◽  
Marta Caserotti ◽  
Irene Leo ◽  
Alessandra Tasso ◽  
Leonardo Speri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Competence ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Mental Images ◽  
Emotional Competencies ◽  
Vaccine Refusal ◽  
Behavior Study ◽  
Childhood Vaccines ◽  
Role Of Parents

The role of parents’ emotional competencies on vaccine hesitancy and decision making has been seldom examined. Two studies investigated the relationship between parents’ attitudes towards childhood vaccines and self-reported behavior (Study 1) and between parents’ emotional competence and attitudes towards vaccines (Study 2). In Study 1, predictors of temporal, partial, or complete vaccine refusal (having voluntarily postponed/forgone some/all vaccines) were examined in 2778 parents. In Study 2, psychological predictors of the attitude towards vaccines were examined in 593 parents, using the Profile of Emotional Competence and the valence of mental images spontaneously associated with the term “vaccine”. In Study 1, attitudes were aggregated in three independent factors (concerns about vaccine safety; diseases prevented by vaccines; and naturalistic views) that independently predicted vaccine refusal. In Study 2, a significant mediational analysis showed a positive indirect effect of intrapersonal emotional competences on attitudes towards vaccines, through mental images associated with the word “vaccine”. Parents’ intrapersonal emotional competences affected all dimensions of attitudes towards vaccines, suggesting that being able to manage, identify, and recognize one’s own emotions is central to vaccine acceptance. These findings suggest that intervention strategies, rather than stressing the pro-social benefits of vaccinating, should focus on aspects related to one’s own emotions.

scholarly journals Measuring Discretion and Delegation in Legislative Texts: Methods and Application to US States

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matia Vannoni ◽  
Elliott Ash ◽  
Massimo Morelli
Keyword(s):  
Computational Linguistics ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Model ◽  
Agency Cost ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
State Legislation ◽  
Us States ◽  
Bureaucratic Discretion ◽  
Legal Texts ◽  
Parse Trees

Bureaucratic discretion and executive delegation are central topics in political economy and political science. The previous empirical literature has measured discretion and delegation by manually coding large bodies of legislation. Drawing from computational linguistics, we provide an automated procedure for measuring discretion and delegation in legal texts to facilitate large-scale empirical analysis. The method uses information in syntactic parse trees to identify legally relevant provisions, as well as agents and delegated actions. We undertake two applications. First, we produce a measure of bureaucratic discretion by looking at the level of legislative detail for US states and find that this measure increases after reforms giving agencies more independence. This effect is consistent with an agency cost model, where a more independent bureaucracy requires more specific instructions (less discretion) to avoid bureaucratic drift. Second, we construct measures of delegation to governors in state legislation. Consistent with previous estimates using non-text metrics, we find that executive delegation increases under unified government.

scholarly journals Measles outbreak in Romania: understanding factors related to suboptimal vaccination uptake

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 986-992
Author(s):  
Katrine Bach Habersaat ◽  
Adriana Pistol ◽  
Aurora Stanescu ◽  
Catherine Hewitt ◽  
Miljana Grbic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Household Income ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Vaccine Safety ◽  
Group Education ◽  
Measles Outbreak ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Low Coverage

Abstract Background A large measles outbreak started in Romania in 2016. Current study aimed to (i) clarify who was affected by the outbreak, (ii) identify their barriers and drivers to vaccination and (iii) explore variation by population group. Methods This was a two-component study. Outbreak surveillance data for 6743 measles cases were reviewed to identify key characteristics. A survey was administered via telephone to 704 caregivers of measles cases (520 respondents) to explore capability, opportunity and motivation barriers to vaccination. Data were summarized descriptively for respondent characteristics and statements. Differences by population group (education, household income, ethnicity, setting and mobility) were explored using χ2 tests, Fisher’s exact tests or regression models. Results Most cases were unvaccinated and lived in low coverage areas. Ethnic minorities were disproportionally affected. Most caregivers felt welcome at health facilities. Some were less satisfied with the waiting time and had found the vaccine out of stock. Not everybody knew that vaccines were free of charge. Less than half knew the child’s next vaccination date, some had not been informed and did not know where to seek this information. Some said their peers did not vaccinate. Beliefs were generally supportive of vaccination; but many were concerned about vaccine safety and found they had not received good information about this. Conclusions varied greatly between minorities and less educated groups, compared with people with higher education levels. Conclusions Identifying characteristics of the population affected and underlying factors can inform a strategy to avoid future outbreaks and further research to obtain deeper insights.

scholarly journals Truth in the Time of Infowars: Moral Politics and Conscience

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 320-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kacper Szulecki
Keyword(s):  
Cold War ◽  
Political Mobilization ◽  
Information Warfare ◽  
Political Responsibility ◽  
Moral Politics ◽  
Conspiracy Theories ◽  
Contemporary Work ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Vantage Points ◽  
The Cold War

Speaking truth to powers-that-be and overthrowing a “regime of lies” were both dissident trademarks during the Cold War era. But what if overreliance on such an idealized and static notion of Truth can be a problem in an age of post-factual politics and information warfare? In this essay, I first problematize the idea that “truth will set us free” and re-read Václav Havel’s The Power of the Powerless together with a contemporary work—the film Camouflage by Krzysztof Zanussi—to find other foundations for political strategies, beyond the “struggle for truth,” that might transcend the post-totalitarian situation and inform our normative choices and political agency today. In a reality over-flooded with information, where spreading doubt and forging counter-narratives has become a weapon, and where conspiracy theories seem to gain ground, relying on a self-evident distinction between Truth and Lies no longer has the power for political mobilization. It is individual conscience—nesting moral and political responsibility within the individual—rather than an externally existing Truth that might prove a more productive compass in a world of multiple vantage points and continuous re-interpretations.

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