A recent study of more than 40,000 Canadians found that, contrary to initial expectations, extroverts were more hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Research shows that while people high in openness and agreeableness are more likely to get vaccinated, people with extroverted personalities are 18% more likely to refuse vaccination. These findings could help future efforts to tailor public health messages based on personality traits.
Which personality types are more reluctant to get vaccinated during the COVID-19 pandemic? Extroversion - that's according to a new study of more than 40,000 Canadians.
"We expected that extroverted people would be more willing to get vaccinated," said lead author Dr. Melissa Baker, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. "We thought these people would want to go back out into the world and socialize, right? But it's just the opposite."
A team of scientists from UTEP and the University of Toronto said the findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, could help future public health messaging and vaccination campaigns. It also provides a unique perspective on vaccine hesitancy research, an area where research has largely focused on political leanings.
"We wanted to look at vaccine hesitancy in another way," Baker said. "Of course, politics can help explain some of it, but there are also individual differences between people -- which brings us to the personality aspect."
The study is based on a survey of more than 40,000 Canadian adults conducted between November 2020 and July 2021. Online questions assessed each participant's personality based on a model known as the "Big Five," which are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and emotional stability.
Other questions explored respondents' views on vaccination. For example, one question asked, "When a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available, will you get it?" As the vaccine rollout began, the question changed to reflect vaccine availability.
Most of the team's hypotheses were supported. For example, people who are more open and consenting are more likely to get vaccinated.
"These are people who are open to new things, new information, and like to go with the flow," Baker said. "We also expect this to be true of people who are high in self-awareness, because they are detail-oriented and big planners."
On the other hand, people with low emotional stability - or those with extreme emotions - were less likely to get vaccinated. What surprised them was that extroverts were 18% more likely to refuse the vaccine.
While the pandemic is over, the team says the findings could help inform future public health messaging strategies for vaccinations against a variety of diseases, not just COVID-19.
"If we know you need to reach a certain personality type, we can think about messages that will actually reach and persuade that person," Baker explains.