Experiment ended

The article "Trust in science and belief in misinformation mediate the effects of political orientation on vaccine hesitancy and intention to be vaccinated" by Alessandro Santirocchi, Pietro Spataro, Federica Alessi, Clelia Rossi-Arnaud, Vincenzo Cestari investigates the associations of political orientation with vaccine hesitancy and intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The study found that right-wing adherents were less trustful of scientists and believed in COVID-19-related misinformation more than left-wing adherents. These two factors accounted for their higher vaccine hesitancy and reduced willingness to receive an anti-COVID-19 vaccination.The study also found that trust in science and belief in misinformation mediated the effects of political orientation on vaccine hesitancy and intention to be vaccinated. This means that political orientation influenced vaccine hesitancy and intention to be vaccinated through trust in science and belief in misinformation.The findings of this study suggest that trust in science and belief in misinformation are important factors that can influence vaccine hesitancy and intention to be vaccinated. Interventions that aim to increase trust in science and reduce belief in misinformation could be effective in reducing vaccine hesitancy.