Trust and needles: how perceptions of inequality shape vaccination in South Korea

Abstract

Abstract This study investigates the influence of perceived inequality on vaccination behaviors within the social context of South Korea. It explores how perceptions of inequality affect trust in science and society, subsequently impacting vaccination behaviors. The first analysis utilizes path analysis to identify both direct and indirect effects of perceived inequality on COVID-19 vaccine-related attitudes, mediated by trust in science and society. This provides foundational insights into these relationships at the individual level. The second analysis expands the scope to district-level data, analyzing influenza vaccination records from 2015 to 2021 to validate and enhance the initial findings. These results suggest that the public uses perceptions of inequality and regional economic disparity as heuristics in vaccination decisions. This study contributes to academic discourse by elucidating factors influencing vaccination behavior. It highlights the critical role of subjective sense of inequality in shaping public health policy, especially in response to emerging infectious diseases and future pandemics.