Would You Mind Sharing Your Opinion About the Covid-19 Vaccination? Explaining Opinion Expression as a Form of Information Sharing

• Published in: European journal of health communication Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 1 - 20
• Main Authors: Link, Elena, Scheper, Jule, Memenga, Paula
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 08.01.2024
• ISSN: 2673-5903; 2673-5903
• DOI: 10.47368/ejhc.2024.101

The present study investigates predictors of opinion expression about the Covid-19 vaccination. Health-related opinion expressions, which can be understood as a specific type of information sharing, are highly relevant since opinions are influential sources for individuals’ health-related attitude formation and decision-making and shape public opinion about health topics. Guided by extensive research on political opinion expression and the current state of research addressing health information sharing, we apply theoretical assumptions of the risk information seeking and processing model (RISP) to opinion expression about vaccination in different social contexts. We conducted an online survey in Germany (N = 833) and empirically analysed our model using regression analyses. A higher likelihood to express one’s opinion was contextual-independently facilitated by more positive attitudes towards sharing, injunctive norms, and sharing efficacy. Context-specific patterns were found for descriptive norms, cognitive risk perceptions, and information seeking. Our results revealed the RISP to be a step towards a theoretically sound framework explaining opinion expression, but demand more specific frameworks developed for opinion expression.