Psychosocial and Social Security Risks Linked to Vaccine Misinformation in Romania: Implications for Vaccination Acceptance and Public Policy

< 0.001), with moderate effect sizes. Effect size estimates indicated small-to-moderate associations (e.g., Cramér's V up to 0.371 for key demographic differences, and Kendall's W = 0.273 for the increase in willingness across the three severity scenarios). Individuals with higher levels of education, urban residence, and younger age were more likely to report higher willingness to vaccinate, whereas respondents from rural areas and those with lower educational levels showed greater susceptibility to misinformation. In addition, risk perception was significantly associated with vaccination intention, which increased as the severity of hypothetical pandemic scenarios intensified. Predictive modeling identified specific misinformation beliefs-particularly those related to vaccine safety and natural immunity-as key factors associated with vaccination decisions. These findings suggest that misinformation is strongly associated with both individual vaccination behavior and broader perceptions of social security.