Impact of war on terror on conspiracy theory beliefs: implications for polio vaccination in Pakistan

Polio poses a serious challenge to health authorities in Pakistan, which is one of two countries in the world where polio remains endemic. The problem is especially severe in the Pashto-speaking regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Baluchistan, which have suffered from war and conflict for many decades. Previous studies have found these regions to be fertile ground for proliferation of different conspiracy theories and misconceptions regarding polio vaccination programs. It has been suspected that belief in conspiracy theories might be a reason behind vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal among the local population. The current study was conducted to understand the impact of these conspiracy theories, misconceptions, and myths on the attitude of the public towards vaccination.

A random sample (n = 400) was chosen for this study from polio high-risk areas of KPK and Baluchistan using a cluster sampling method. A survey instrument was used to gather data, which were analyzed using regression analysis in SPSS software.

All three independent variables, namely perception of religious conspiracies (PR), perception of vaccination as a tool for spying (PS), and misconceptions about side effects of vaccines (MS), were found to have a significant positive association with the dependent variable, i.e., negative attitude towards polio vaccination (NAV).

Pakistan authorities should develop comprehensive awareness-raising and educational campaigns to counter the impact of conspiracy theories, myths, and misconceptions regarding polio vaccination.