Understanding scepticism in times of a pandemic

Abstract

This study investigated the antecedents of COVID-19 scepticism. In order to decide on possible determinants, it was tested whether one, or multiple, antecedents of scepticism towards climate change, vaccinations and GMO’s related to COVID-19 scepticism as well. For this study, data from an online survey on political ideology, scientific trust, anxieties, and knowledge related to COVID-19 was used. Findings showed that important antecedents of COVID-19 scepticism were COVID-19 related knowledge and age. In addition, the effect of COVID-19 related knowledge on COVID-19 scepticism was especially strong for young participants. Based on these findings, it is concluded that COVID-19 scepticism relates most to GMO scepticism. However, as this study only analysed data on the first wave of the corona pandemic, future studies are needed to test the generalizability of these findings for later waves of the pandemic.