However, a person’s cultural background also plays a role, according to the University of Luxembourg’s ‘Covalux’ study on why people choose, or refuse, to be vaccinated.
Firstly, the Covalux study determined that residents with a higher level of education are more likely to choose vaccination. They stated in the study that they think it is beneficial to inform oneself about the virus and the different vaccines. However, the willingness to receive a vaccine also depends on age. Younger people showed a much higher unwillingness to get a jab.
Dr Anja Leist, Professor at Uni.lu, explained that younger people have a tendency to think that their individual risk is much lower compared to older demographics. Some younger participants also stated that they prefer to wait until more people have already been vaccinated.
Besides Luxembourgish nationals, the study also specifically targeted people with a cultural background from former Yugoslavia. This demographic generally has a lower willingness to get vaccinated compared to, for instance, people from Portugal or Italy.
According to Dr Leist, the researchers behind the study found that they are disproportionately exposed to misinformation and conspiracy theories. This may be explained by the fact that the willingness to get a vaccine is also low in their home countries, as is trust in the government and the national health authorities.
In order to reach everyone, it is nevertheless important to target information and present it in a way that is easily understandable. Referring to Switzerland’s “efficient vaccination campaign”, Dr Leist recommends that the government’s campaign should focus on social media, since these platforms simply allow them to reach the largest number of people.
