Context dependent preferences in prestige bias learning about vaccination in rural Namibian pastoralists.

ABSTRACT: Extensive work in the social sciences suggests that vaccination decisions are subject to incentives, biases, and social learning processes, including prestige bias transmission. High status figures, like doctors and public health officials, can be effective messengers for vaccination information and uptake under certain conditions. In communities where there is significant medical mistrust and less interaction with markets and formal medical systems, prestige bias social learning may operate through different channels. Here, we examine the role of prestige bias on vaccine decisions in two ethnic groups (Himba and Herero) with varying levels of market integration and experiences with formal healthcare systems. Participants completed a ranking task, comparing the influence of four prestigiou

SUBMITTER: Prall S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11972090 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature