Abstract
The Politics of HPV Vaccination Advocacy:
Effects of Source Expertise on Effectiveness of a Pro-Vaccine Message
Persistent public resistance to an apparently safe, effective and life-saving public health practice such as HPV vaccination illustrates a significant issue in the communication of behavioral recommendations based on evidence-based scientific data and consensus views of scientific and medical experts. This study examines the influence of source expertise on pro-HPV-vaccine advocacy messaging effectiveness among audiences of differing political ideologies. The findings support prior research indicating greater resistance to HPV vaccination among political conservatives. Subjects who self-identified politically as Centrists and Conservatives were significantly less likely to think deeply about a pro-HPV advocacy message delivered by an expert spokesperson than were politically self-identified Progressives. Conservatives who viewed a pro-HPV vaccination message delivered by a non-expert spokesperson had significantly more positive attitudes toward HPV vaccination than Conservatives who received no advocacy message (the control condition). By contrast, attitudes of Conservatives who viewed a pro-HPV vaccination message delivered by an expert spokesperson were not significantly different from those who received no advocacy message. The findings suggest an over-reliance on expert spokespeople for delivering science-based behavioral recommendations.
Recommended Citation
Gans, Roger
(2014)
"The Politics of HPV Vaccination Advocacy: Effects of Source Expertise on Effectiveness of a Pro-Vaccine Message,"
Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association: Vol. 2013, Article 3.
Available at:
https://docs.rwu.edu/nyscaproceedings/vol2013/iss2013/3
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