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The Impact of Vaccine Misinformation : Evidence from the US

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  • MERADEE, Tangvatcharapong

Abstract

The increasing amount of misinformation, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, has generated significant debate about the proper role of government and media platforms in combating it. However, little is known about whether and to what extent misinformation can actually change health behavior. This paper addresses this question by examining how parents responded to the unexpected surge in media coverage in 2007 of the verifiably false claim that the MMR vaccine caused autism. Specifically, I use a difference-in-differences approach to compare the vaccination rates of children whose parents were most and least likely to be affected by the news over time. Results indicate that susceptible parents were 3.3 percentage points less likely to vaccinate their children with an MMR shot by the recommended age of 15 months and 4.1 percentage points less likely to do so by 29 months.

Suggested Citation

  • MERADEE, Tangvatcharapong, 2024. "The Impact of Vaccine Misinformation : Evidence from the US," CEI Working Paper Series 2023-07, Center for Economic Institutions, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    • Handle: RePEc:hit:hitcei:2023-07
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    File URL: https://hermes-ir.lib.hit-u.ac.jp/hermes/ir/re/82323/wp2023-07.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    vaccination; immunization; misinformation; news;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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