Those who support Black Lives Matter tend to be less hesitant about vaccines, UCLA study finds

Key takeawaysA UCLA study found that  people who expressed support for the Black Lives Matter movement were less hesitant about receiving COVID-19 vaccines than those who did not.One possible explanation for the phenomenon could be that people expressing concern for others through support of a social movement, for example, are also willing  to get vaccinated out of concern for others.The findings suggest that involvement in anti-racism activities could have other unintended, positive consequences.Efforts to encourage vaccination might do well to take advantage of the positive feelings and actions between different social groups, according to a study of attitudes toward vaccines among supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement.The study by UCLA psychologists, published in the journalSocial Science and Medicine,  found that across all racial, ethnic and income groups, people who expressed support for the BLM movement were less hesitant about receiving COVID-19 vaccines than those who did not. The evidence suggests that altruistic feelings about interactions between members of different social groups might account for reduced vaccine hesitancy.“We found that support for BLM or other anti-racism activities can have far-reaching, possibly unintended yet positive public health outcomes,” said first author Tiffany Brannon, a UCLA assistant professor of psychology.“Efforts to get people vaccinated for COVID-19 or other diseases usually involve campaigns rooted in medical ...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news