The Social Reinforcement of Anti‐Vaccination Attitudes: How Perceived Support Strengthens Vaccine Hesitancy Through Group Identity Processes

ABSTRACT Vaccine hesitancy and anti‐vaccination attitudes are becoming increasingly problematic in several Western countries where diseases that were nearly extinct are coming back. We here explore the role of perceived social support in understanding anti‐vaccination attitudes. We argue that perceptions about having social support for one′s position may influence anti‐vaccination attitudes among some social groups. More specifically, we argue that individuals who identify as vaccine hesitant and perceive to have high social support will likely be strengthened in their anti‐vaccination attitudes. In a representative survey ( N = 1660) performed among Swedish citizens, we find that stronger identification as vaccine‐hesitant is associated with a biased perception that social support for one′s position is stronger than it is. In an experiment ( N = 794), we manipulate social support for vaccine hesitants, such that participants are informed that an increasing part of the population is becoming more negative to vaccines and vaccinations. We find that social support leads to positive emotions among individuals who identify as vaccine hesitants, which in turn is associated with increased anti‐vaccination attitudes. The results have important implications for how anti‐vaccination attitudes may spread and cement among the public based in identity concerns as well as cognitive biases.