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- Title
COVID-19 vaccination, risk-compensatory behaviours, and contacts in the UK.
- Authors
Buckell, John; Jones, Joel; Matthews, Philippa C.; Diamond, Sir Ian; Rourke, Emma; Studley, Ruth; Cook, Duncan; Walker, Ann Sarah; Pouwels, Koen B.; the COVID-19 Infection Survey Team; Thomas, Tina; Ayoubkhani, Daniel; Black, Russell; Felton, Antonio; Crees, Megan; Lloyd, Lina; Sutherland, Esther; Pritchard, Emma; Vihta, Karina-Doris; Doherty, George
- Abstract
The physiological effects of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) are well documented, yet the behavioural effects not well known. Risk compensation suggests that gains in personal safety, as a result of vaccination, are offset by increases in risky behaviour, such as socialising, commuting and working outside the home. This is potentially important because transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is driven by contacts, which could be amplified by vaccine-related risk compensation. Here, we show that behaviours were overall unrelated to personal vaccination, but—adjusting for variation in mitigation policies—were responsive to the level of vaccination in the wider population: individuals in the UK were risk compensating when rates of vaccination were rising. This effect was observed across four nations of the UK, each of which varied policies autonomously.
- Subjects
UNITED Kingdom; COVID-19 vaccines; HAZARD mitigation; VACCINATION; SARS-CoV-2
- Publication
Scientific Reports, 2023, Vol 13, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
2045-2322
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/s41598-023-34244-2