People who have had a Covid vaccine hold negative views about people who have not, but the reverse is not true, a major study has found. MailOnline has the story.
Researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark questioned some 10,000 people from 21 countries to establish their opinion.
Publishing their findings, the research discovered anti-vaccine people are viewed negatively. However, those who have refused the jab do not think less of those who sought protection.
According to the Times, the researchers found that vaccinated people held “stereotypic inferences that unvaccinated individuals are untrustworthy and unintelligent, making the antipathy resemble prejudice towards other deviant groups”.
Participants of the survey were shown a fictional portrait of an individual, including their age, occupation personality and vaccine status.
The researchers asked whether they would be happy if a close relative was going to marry an [unvaccinated person]. Among those who have had their jabs, there is a 13% drop in approval.
The researchers said: “In the short run, prejudice towards the unvaccinated may complicate pandemic management. In the long run, it may mean that societies leave the pandemic more divided than they entered.”