Information and vaccine hesitancy: the role of broadband Internet

Sofia Amaral-Garcia (), Mattia Nardotto (), Carol Propper and Tommaso Valletti
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Sofia Amaral-Garcia: European Commission - Joint Research Center, i3health/Universite libre de Bruxelles
Mattia Nardotto: ECARES - Universite libre de Bruxelles, CEPR and CESifo

No 2023-04, Working Papers from Centre for Health Economics, Monash University

Abstract: We study the effect of internet diffusion on the uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine for children in England between 2000 and 2011. OLS estimates suggest that internet diffusion led to an increase in vaccinations but this result is reversed once we instrument for internet access. We find that the effect of internet diffusion on vaccination rates is sizable: a change of one standard deviation in internet take up determined an approximately 20% decrease in vaccination rate. We also find that areas with a higher proportion of high skilled individuals and lower deprivation levels are those with a higher response to internet diffusion in terms of the reduction in MMR vaccination rates. These findings are consistent with higher skilled and less deprived parents responding faster to false information circulated at the time that the vaccine could lead to autism. Even though this information has been proven to be wrong, these parents were those absorbing it more.

Keywords: MMR vaccines; vaccine hesitancy; broadband internet; misinfromation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I12 L86 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-des, nep-eur, nep-hea and nep-ict
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Related works:
Journal Article: Information and vaccine hesitancy: The role of broadband Internet (2024)
Working Paper: Information and Vaccine Hesitancy: The Role of Broadband Internet (2024)
Working Paper: Information and vaccine hesitancy: The role of broadband Internet (2024)
Working Paper: Information and vaccine hesitancy: The role of broadband Internet (2024)
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