The unvaccinated were unfairly scapegoated

 The Unvaccinated Were Scapegoated for Failure of COVID Vaccines, Study Finds

Scapegoating and hate messaging were intentional and BROKE UP FAMILIES

IGOR CHUDOV

A new scientific study found that unvaccinated people were unfairly scapegoated during the pandemic. Psypost reports:

The COVID-19 blame game: Unvaccinated individuals disproportionately scapegoated, study suggests

I doubt that the “scientific discovery” of unwarranted and mean-spirited scapegoating of the unvaccinated surprises most of my readers, but the details of the “findings” are interesting.

However, this emphasis on vaccination has also given rise to a complex social phenomenon – the stigmatization and prejudice faced by those who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19. A recent study published in the Journal of Medical Ethics aimed to investigate whether the negative sentiments directed towards the unvaccinated can be considered a form of scapegoating.

“My colleagues and I have been studying the social divisions surrounding COVID-19 for some time. We have noticed that much of the existing research at that time focused on conflicts originating from people who discount COVID-19, believe in conspiracy theories, and generally undervalue the threat of the virus. We replicated many of those patterns in our own research as well,” said study author Maja Graso, an assistant professor at the University of Groningen.

The authors seem to be shocked by their discovery that much of the lies and misinformation came from the government and media:

“However, what we found to be missing was an address to misinformation and the consequences stemming from overestimating the threat. Consider, for instance, how in 2020, more than 30% of Americans believed that a COVID infection led to a 50% chance of hospitalization; it never did, nor was there ever evidence to suggest it might. Left-leaning individuals tended to over-estimate COVID harms to a greater degree than conservatives.”

The scientific study by Maja Graso et al. examined attitudes toward unvaccinated people by presenting a questionnaire with fictional characters: a vaccinated person named Katy and an unvaccinated person named Mark. Both Katy and Mark carried the COVID-19 virus and infected a vulnerable individual.