Excessive information on social media and Generation Z’s long-term COVID-19 vaccine advocacy: a post-pandemic perspective

Abstract

Purpose: social media played an irreplaceable role in young people’s online social life and information consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research focuses on the impact of excessive information on social media about COVID-19 vaccines on Generation Z’s (Gen Z) associated psychological states and long-term vaccine advocacy.

Design/methodology/approach: the research conducted structural equation modeling analysis with online survey data from 409 Gen Z citizens in the UK.

Findings: the findings suggest that excessive information increased Gen Z social media users’ ambivalence and conspiracy beliefs around COVID-19 vaccines, which, in turn, reduced their long-term vaccine advocacy in terms of vaccine acceptance, vaccination intention, and vaccine promotion. Importantly, Gen Z’s confidence in government and in the healthcare systems during COVID-19 were effective in helping them overcome the detrimental effects of conspiracy beliefs and ambivalence about long-term vaccine advocacy, respectively.

Originality/value: this research reveals the ‘dark side’ of social media use in the post-pandemic period and highlights the significant roles played by social institutions in mitigating the detrimental effects of Gen Z’s support in social decisions. Beyond the context of COVID-19, this research has important implications for facilitating the civic engagement of Gen Z and boosting their confidence in social institutions in terms of social cohesion.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Hongfei Liu: orcid.org/0000-0001-8539-9054

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