: Time trends and factors related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy from January-May 2021

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...AND DOCTORS according to a new report by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.

Interestingly, trends from january through may were relatively consistant- the higher your level of education, the more likely you are to get the vaccine as time goes on, with one glaring exception: those with a PhD. Why do you think that would be?



I find it humorous that this meme is essentially turning out to be accurate.

 

That is simple.
PhD usually look at the bigger picture.

 

I really don't like these kinds of reports because (1) they assume everyone is telling the truth, and (2) it contributes to this issue with have with adults not wanting to take the time or effort to educate themselves (openly and completely) and make their own decisions.

We shout and shout and shout about our FREEDOM but many of us WANT AND NEED to be told what to do - that is the exact opposite of personal freedom (and with freedom, comes PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY).

 

An alternate possibility- given that the first vaccines were available in december and given that doctors (not just medical doctors, but other doctorate level professionals likely working in 'essential' fields) were priority on the list to gain early access, perhaps those with a PhD level education didn't need to wait for 'more information' to come out before making their decision. Maybe they had all the information they needed right off the bat to get vaccinated or not and nothing thats come out since has changed the minds of those PhDs that decided to not.

 

It seems to me that paranoia about government in general and about experts in various fields is greatest among those lacking a higher education. Along the same lines, these people are most prone to the Dunning-Kruger effect, believing themselves to be smarter (better informed) and more competent than they actually are in a given field. They are so ignorant that they truly don't know what they don't know.

As Carl Sagan said: If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs for the next charlatan, political or religious, who comes ambling along. This, sadly, is precisely what has happened to conservatives in this country. Conservatism should not be based in ignorance, paranoia and hatred, but that is what it is becoming now in the age of Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump, and this "vaccine hesitancy" is one tragic outcome of that.

 

I get a kick out of the demonization of people not wanting to be a test subject for an unapproved experimental treatment. It’s sad and sick though that so many do exactly that then apply their own political bias to it.

 

K, but how does that apply in the context of vaccine hesitancy being higher among PhDs (as of May) than it is among those with no formal education?

 

But it's not accurate, because those with a master's degree were the least hesitant: 5432020 (medrxiv.org)

"Further investigation into hesitancy among those with a PhD is warranted." That's for damned sure.

 

That is the subject of the OP... Do you have any theories?

 

Here's one:

Kent Hovind's doctoral dissertations - RationalWiki

There are more bullshit PhDs out there than master's degrees.

 

Well, I am against vaccination exactly because I have educated myself.
1. sars-cov-2 is common cold virus.
2. common cold viruses are abundant they change very quickly.
3. despite all the efforts of scientists they are not capable to keep up with virus changes.
4. To be constantly updated against common cold the injections of foreign bodies need to be performed every 6 - 8 months.
5. Constant stimulation of immune system might lead to unpredictable results that includes things like severe autoimmune diseases.

 

So you're theory is 'fake doctors'... rgr.

 

As an example. I don't know how these people were sampled, either. Are their credentials verified?

I think you'd have to agree that it's strange for Ph.D.s to reject vaccines at an equal if not higher rate relative to those with no higher education while those with master's degrees are the least likely to reject vaccines. Something else to consider is that a Ph.D. is a highly specialized degree and may easily have nothing at all to do with medicine, so relative to a master's degree it doesn't really indicate that the person is better educated in any general or even medical sense. This is why, as the study says, investigation is warranted.

 

The general guideline in academia is that a Master's degree means you've "mastered" the knowledge in your field, whereas a PhD means you've made an original contribution to the knowledge in that field. Doctors of Medicine and Jurisprudence may be slightly different.

 

You'd be better off to get the vaccine. It's efficacy is based primarily on simple statistics, which show it improves your odds against the virus significantly.

 

I have a JD so I'm very familiar with the PHD and Professional crowd. These people are not merely holding a simple degree in a study, but also demonstrate an ability to independently contribute original and work through practical application of a particular discipline (Law, Engineering, Medicine). You need a high degree of intelligence, creativity and/or work ethic to attain these degrees and professional licenses, and plenty of people with bachelor and master degrees are culled from the herd within the first semester or academic year. We are essentially talking about a group that has conservative work and ethical values for efficient learning and disciplined analysis, but utilize liberal learning processes and viewpoints (an open mind) in order to tackle a plethora of wide-ranging issues that they might (realistically or theoretically) encounter within their field. For example, when I take a medical malpractice due to a botched heart surgery, I obviously need to learn all facets of a heart surgery before trial, but I also need to consider other disciplines like pharmacology and medical devices engineered for surgeries. I have to think about every possibility, and adjust my legal strategy in case in the event I have to add a negligent anesthesiologist or the device maker under a products liability suit. I have to use scientific data and evidence to prove a legal claim.

I think the higher rates of vaccine skepticism among PHDs and Doctorate degreed people has a lot to do with their interpretation of the scientific data. Although many are forced to submit to vaccinations due to social, professional and media pressure, there's still large swaths of people that are concerned about the potential harm from multiple vaccinations, and do not believe the research supports or accurately portrays the sweeping claims supporting high efficacy and safety. When I go to some of the virology forums, people with PHDs pertaining in qualified fields consistently point to faulty statistical data provided to support the notion that the vaccinated are not spreading, being hospitalized, or dying from Covid-19 even though the number in UK was quickly rising among the vaccinated over the last few months. Now it's 87 percent. In Israel, a top official claimed that 95% of hospitalizations in the country were among vaccinated patients. These numbers were thought impossible by the mainstream community. https://undercurrents723949620.word...iabolic-95-of-severe-patients-are-vaccinated/

I think it's also important to point out the fact that PHDs on the internet were also disseminating research paper and data demonstrating that Covid-19 was likely a product of gain-of-function research that originated out of the Wuhan Laboratory.

Additionally, I think people with PHDs and Professional degrees are more likely to be older members of society with pre-existing conditions that would put them in danger of serious side effects from multiple Covid-19 vaccinations. Some part of this group may also contain people that know a variety of medical precautions and therapies that significantly aids them in fighting a Covid-19 infection, symptoms, and severity. Like many seasonal viruses, catching and treating it early provides significant benefits. I think highly educated persons could be relied on to reduce the spread and severity of their infection by identifying a symptom early-on, but most people have no idea about the therapies and precautions.

The high-school educated persons are probably compromised of people that needed to work during the virus, and weigh the risk differently than college students. Despite having no vaccines, illegal immigrants, migrant workers, blue collar whites and blacks were working during the shutdown. Many of them have already been infected. They've built an immunity. My brother was infected cause he worked on construction projects during the shutdown. He's also a PHD, but many of his co-workers are high-school and some college. His workers have been through it already, and think it's no big deal, and just want to work now. You have a lot of stubborn people in the group of people that are low-educated, but the same could be said about the college and Masters group that probably thought vaccinations prevented you from spreading the virus. We know from influenza shots that this isn't true.

 

The Covid-19 virus is not changing "very quickly" hence why the AZ| vaccine is still very effective against the Delta variant even though it was developed for the variant common 18 months ago. Unlike the flu vaccine where effacacy can be as low as 30% on some years

The immune system is constantly stimulated 24/7. It doesn't differentiate between different viruses and bacteria. See that little spot you have on your back..........? How about that insect bite you got on your walk last night...............?

 

We are quickly reaching such a status where education is equivalent to a Pope's blessing. It's absolutely ridiculous and absurd and sad that it's all happening in real time. Ignorance isn't bliss, but neither is some status that doesn't quantify intelligence but rather quantifies that you successfully completed the educational curriculum.

 

Those with Philosophically Handicapped Degrees probably associated Killer Bees, Mimosa Trees, Kudzu, and Brazilian Pepper Trees with Moderna, because it all got here by way of smart people.

 

Sorry for no link, spitting into the wind and such, but I saw an article a few days back saying exactly the opposite. The greater the education the more the hesitation to follow the herd.