Not All Vaccine-Sceptics Are Anti-Vaxxers

The rejection of COVID-19 vaccines and general scepticism against inoculation are not necessarily connected to each other, revealed in a Visegrad Group countries poll commissioned by the Budapest-based think tank Political Capital.

• Some individuals believe vaccines, in general, have more disadvantages than benefits and, yet, they see vaccines as an effective solution against the current problem, i.e. the coronavirus pandemic.
• There are even more respondents who reject COVID-19 vaccines even though they are generally supportive of inoculation.

It is clear that no unbiased, calm dialogue has been possible between people with different views on vaccination ever since the pandemic became a part of our lives. Anybody who raised concerns about the jabs was immediately labelled as an ‘anti-vaxxer’ or ‘conspiracy theorist’, while those who do reject vaccination refused to listen to any rational argument that may challenge their convictions.

Our poll helps us better understand the reasons behind sceptical attitudes, revealing people’s main fears and motives (see endnote (1) for methodology). This could mark the first step towards more balanced dialogue, which might help increase vaccine popularity.

The five vaccination groups

When assessing results, we combined the data from all V4 countries to be able to observe correlations in the 4,000 people sample more accurately.