Research has found Christian nationalism to be one of the strongest predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
“The rebel forces in America’s latest culture war — the so-called anti-vaxxers — are often described as middle- and upper-class women who breast-feed their children, shop at Whole Foods, endlessly scour the web for vaccine-related conversation, and believe that their thinking supersedes that of their doctors,” wrote Alfred Lubrano in the Philadelphia Inquirer, reporting on then-recent studies from government public health agencies.
How things have changed. Nowadays, the face of vaccine hesitancy is most apt to be a Christian, according to more recent research and polling. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have shifted cultural opinions on vaccines.
In April 2021, researchers surveyed 2,135 vaccinated registered voters in South Dakota, presenting them with identical messages about COVID guidelines from either a political, religious, or medical leader. Messaging from a religious leader was more effective than the other two, leading the authors to suggest public health professionals “might find it beneficial to coordinate their efforts with leaders in faith communities.”
This is in line with data from Pew Research Center that has found “a relatively high degree of trust in clergy to give advice on the coronavirus vaccines: Fully six-in-ten U.S. congregants (61%) say they have at least ‘a fair amount’ of confidence in their religious leaders to provide reliable guidance about getting a vaccine.” That guidance can swing either positive or negative — some church leaders encourage their flock to get the shots, while others don’t.