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Newtonian physics

What's the "before" that you're using to compare this chart to?

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Well not all and not gasping but there will be plenty of the 4 horsemen once our inability to deal with reality starts to bump up hard against reality.

The monetization of anti-vax sentiment rolled together with anti-government sentiment created much of the shit-pie we are all forced to eat now.

I enjoy how the "Republicans" and the "white Republicans" are clearly the same people almost entirely.

If there are any historians left, THIS will be the story to tell and explain.

people resent success.

What’s the take up of flu vaccine? You might expect these numbers to converge. A lot of people aren’t so much anti flu vaccine as ignorant of the severity of flu. I count myself among those as a young man, I just missed the boat on universal flu vaccination and didn’t think much of it.

it sucks

And for mRNA, way more symptomatic than most vaccines

And public health and political communication has been totally awful, which explains some of the lack of interest in boosters! It's not all extreme science denial.

we really are not in a pandemic anymore. it is endemic now, like the flu

I’d throw search engines in too. it is all the outcome of this attention economy. you got to be provocative or you die.

your sober takes and sensible but unsurprising advice is really bad for clicks.

It’s deeper than social media. Yes, companies like Twitter enabled it. But really, it’s our shitty campaign finance system. It’s the fact that anti-vax groups can be nonprofits and get massive amounts of $. It’s the fact that right-wing dark $ decided promoting vax skepticism would help them.

Massive failure of public health messaging, spurred on by governments rushing to "end" the pandemic at the behest of big business. The urgency of vaccines is lost to the public Add to that "experts" doggedly denying airborne transmission we are going to live shorter and sicker lives.

I’m honestly failing to generate much empathy for white republicans tbh - it’s yet another example of how horrifically polarised we are as a society between “I think reality is real” and “pfft I’m way too privileged to think reality applies to me so I am willing to believe batshit crazy things”

I hate this so fucking much

Absolutely. My peers who are educated all got this year's shot without any fanfare. The initial rollout was one of the most impressive scientific accomplishments in a long time. It saved hundreds of thousands of lives. It's amazing how the dummies messaging won.

I think total uptake is like less than 10% at this point so even this poll includes a lot of people claiming to be more pro vax than they are

I’m very pro vax, but I definitely didn’t feel the same urgency this time around. My work set up an on-site flu/Covid/shingles event, and if they hadn’t I probably would have figured it out eventually but being honest I might not have.

It looks like an outsized affect based on politics maybe? Looking at the Republican results vs all others. And only about 35% get the flu vax every year, I believe. So I'm a little more glass-half-full on this.

Never underestimate the stupidity of humans

That’s because the fourth estate chose greed over journalism and the right wing chose power over morality. We only noticed it this time because both groups have nearly completed their self-selection for corruption… leaving almost no-one to stand up for professionalism or morality.

Doctors spread antivaxx misinformation about covid vaccines that bled into routine vaccines. I wrote about that here. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/does-vaccinating-children-against-covid-impair-the-routine-vaccinations/

It was Trump's biggest success. (and now his party hates it while still loving Trump)

Given this is looking at American data I wouldn't classify Republicans as foreign agents.

At some point, we’re going to have to figure out how to actually combat misinformation. This anti-vax sentiment has been brewing and growing for years.