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Cited by 24Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationVaccine Coverage and HesitancySocial and Intergroup Psychology

Divided by the jab: Affective polarisation based on COVID vaccination status

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Wagner, Markus, Eberl, Jakob-Moritz·2025·Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties
DOI 10.1080/17457289.2024.2352449
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Abstract

Group-based affective polarisation can emerge around new issues that divide citizens.The public response to vaccines against COVID-19 provided a clear example of a new basis for group divides.Despite scientific consensus regarding the dangers of SARS-CoV-2 as well as the safety and effectiveness of available vaccinations, the public response to the COVID-19 pandemic was strongly politicised during the height of the health crisis.Positive social identities and negative out-group stereotyping developed around support or opposition to the vaccines.Panel survey data from Austria shows that vaccination identities are clearly identifiable and are related to extensive traitbased stereotyping of in-and out-group members.Moreover, we show that vaccination identities are linked to political identities and orientations that pre-date the politicisation of COVID-19 vaccines.Indeed, vaccination identities are more strongly related to political orientations than the decision to get vaccinated itself.Importantly, vaccination identities help us understand downstream attitudes, preferences, and behaviours related to the pandemic, even when controlling for other important predictors such as vaccination status and partisanship for anti-vaccine parties.We discuss the implications and generalizability of our findings beyond the context of the pandemic.

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  • Focal issues and politicians can serve as key political dividing lines.

    “Focal issues-like, for example, Brexit in the United Kingdom (e.g., Hobolt et al., 2021) or vaccination status (Filsinger & Freitag, 2024;Wagner & Eberl, 2025)-can serve as key political dividing lines; so too can politicians-like, for example, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil (Areal, 2022).”

    From Measuring affective polarization: Matching concepts to measures (2026) · cites this paper as Wagner & Eberl, 2025

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Authors
Wagner, M., & Eberl, J.-M.
Affiliations
University of Vienna (AT)
Corresponding author
Wagner, Markus
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2024-05-09
Volume
35
Issue
4
Pages
624-647
ISSN
  • 1368-9886 (ISSN-L)
  • 1745-7289
  • 1745-7297
DOI
10.1080/17457289.2024.2352449
OpenAlex
W4396778059
Cited by
24
References
57
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 3
FWCI
38.51
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
Journal of Elections Public Opinion and Parties (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
  • Vienna Science and Technology Fund (COVID-19 Rapid Response, EI-COV20-006)
  • Austrian Science Fund (P33907)
  • Universität Wien
  • HORIZON EUROPE European Research Council (101044069)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Electoral Systems and Political Participation
  • Social Sciences › Health › Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
Keywords
affective polarization, COVID-19 vaccination, vaccine hesitancy, political identity, partisanship, social identity

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