Demographic variables (including education) accounted for nonsignificant or trivial levels of variance. No relationship between demographic variables and anti-vaxxer attitudes were found in the referenced study.

Michigan State University

In order of magnitude, antivaccination attitudes are highest among those who (a) were high in conspiratorial thinking, (b) were high in reactance, (c) reported high levels of disgust toward blood and needles, and (d) had strong individualistic/hierarchical worldviews.

Anti-Vaxxer Attitudes

A demographic variable is a variable that is collected by researchers to describe the nature and distribution of the sample used with inferential statistics. 

Demographic Variables

Bednarczyk R. A. (2018). Examining the "why" of vaccine hesitancy. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 37(4), 316–317. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000596

Examining the “Why” of Vaccine Hesitancy

Also known as "conspiratorial ideation", this refers to the general tendency to endorse and believe in conspiracy theories. Those high in conspiracy ideations are less likely to believe in scientific findings and tend to form insular communities that restrict the exposure of correct information.

Conspiratorial Thinking

An unpleasant motivational arousal that emerges when people perceive a threat to or loss of their free behaviors.

Reactance

A deep-rooted belief that one should prioritize themself and their own wants/needs over those of their community (individualism), and that that rights, duties, goods, and offices should be distributed based on one's social standing (hierarchism).

Individualistic/Hierarchical Worldviews

Demographic Variables and Anti-Vaxxer Attitudes

Within applied statistics and research, these are variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic measures, and group membership.

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