COVID-19 Vaccine Information Exposure: The Effect of Online Authority vs. Non-Authority Sources on Beliefs, Emotions and Information Engagement Behaviors.

Limited research has examined the theoretical linkages between exposure to COVID-19 vaccine information sources, vaccination-related beliefs, vaccination-induced emotions, and vaccine information engagement. An online survey was conducted with a national sample of adults (N = 630) residing in the U.S. to test these relationships, guided by the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework and the Health Belief Model. Study findings showed that exposure to online authority vaccine information sources was positively related to vaccination-benefit beliefs and negatively related to vaccination-barrier beliefs, in addition to hopeful feelings connected to vaccination. Exposure to non-authority sources was positively associated with vaccination-barrier beliefs, hopeful and fearful feelings connected to vaccination, and vaccine information engagement. While vaccination-benefit beliefs and vaccination-barrier beliefs were negatively and positively linked to vaccine information engagement, respectively, these beliefs were each positively connected to hopeful feelings and fearful feelings toward vaccination in that order. Both hopeful and fearful feelings toward vaccination also emerged as positive correlates of vaccine information engagement. This study contributes to our understanding of how cognitive appraisals of and affective responses to risk information disseminated by different types of sources may be related to risk information engagement behavior in a public health crisis. Results bring evidence-based insights to both researchers and health professionals to better equip them to counter vaccine misinformation and reduce vaccination barriers.