3 ms·

Smart people first in line for Covid-19 vaccines, study suggests

36 points by alwillis 3y ago

martythemaniak 3y ago
This is pretty funny, because people that tend to be obsessed with IQ (the bell curve crowd) tend to be antivax ("free thinkers") and also kinda obsessed with Sweden's COVID policies. As for the study, yes why wouldn't you expect the smartest people to make the blindingly obvious smart choice.
- cvccvroomvroom 3y ago
  There's demonstrably intelligent and then there's obsession about "proving" measurements of it (MENSA etc). There is some overlap, but the latter seems to originate from insecurities. Interestingly, wealth potential is positively correlated with self-control, which, in turn, is correlated to large degree with intelligence, and then again correlated with more mental health concerns.
SubiculumCode 3y ago
Educated people don't tend to work in retail where continual interactions with the general public will have indoubtedly exposed their immune system to covid hundreds to thousands of times already... probably benefit more from the covid immunizations than joe at the supermarket will.
triyambakam 3y ago
It says those who registered for military service. I know that it is required in Sweden, but does this account for exemptions? I.e. does the data exclude people who e.g. went to college instead of the military?
- tpmx 3y ago
  Based on the source link I belive the article writer misunderstood that part. These studies tend to be about the mandatory screening (mustering) process. Back then it was mandatory for all males to go through two days of testing (physiology/medical/intelligence/psychology). Out of these some number where selected for military service. This is a data goldmine for studies these days since the data can be directly linked to various outcomes later in life on an individual level via their national identification numbers. tl;dr: Most likely it includes both those that did military service at first and those that went directly to college. (Source: Am Swedish, did this screening/mustering in 1996.)
tredre3 3y ago
> The results suggest that the complexity of the vaccination decision may make it difficult for individuals with lower cognitive abilities to understand the benefits of vaccination. Or maybe dumber people wanted to get vaccinated as fast as smarter people but the process to get an appointment was just ridiculous so they gave up or procrastinated? I was in Canada at the time. The process to get the vaccine wasn't complicated but it was convoluted and it took a couple days for it to finally give me an appointment so I almost gave up. At no point did I question the need for a vaccine. I guess that makes me dumb?
- wnevets 3y ago
  > Or maybe dumber people wanted to get vaccinated as fast as smarter people but the process to get an appointment was just ridiculous so they gave up or procrastinated? It couldn't have been easier where I am located. The vaccine mega site was so well run and organized, it was very impressive.
pizzafeelsright 3y ago
That's one interpretation of the data.
DoreenMichele 3y ago
Coauthor Mattias Ohman, PhD, said that making vaccination appointments for people accelerated uptake in both groups. "Logging on to a website, finding an appointment, booking it, going there and getting vaccinated may have been too many steps for some people," he said. I will also note that people with poorer cognitive ability may face other barriers as well, such as logistical issues. They may have less money -- which can be a practical barrier even if the shot is free -- may have transportation issues, etc. I was one of the top 3 students of my graduating high school class, had the highest SAT score and won a National Merit Scholarship to a prestigious school. I'm also seriously medically handicapped and it frequently impairs my cognitive ability. So I'm both "a smart person" and also cognitively impaired.
jovial_cavalier 3y ago
New study suggests that people who disagree with me are dumb and bad
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
brucethemoose2 3y ago
I was the first person at my (Florida) CVS to get the Omicron booster. The pharmacist literally opened the first vaccine shipment right in front of me. ...And there was no one else in line. Heck, I had to seek out and research the Omicron booster because it wasn't in the news or any kind of notification I normally get. Most people I asked had no idea it was a thing. I postulate that there wouldn't even be enough data where I live for such a study, because people don't seem to care about vaccines.
fithisux 3y ago
racism alert !
exodust 3y ago
> "...difficult for people with lower cognitive abilities to understand the benefits of vaccination." Not a great theory. Most hesitancy wasn't anti-vaccination in general, it was specifically anti-covid vaccination. Hesitancy can imply a greater degree of scrutiny and thought behind decisions. Those lining up first would include those who trust vaccination in general, but also those who do as they're told without question. Smart or dumb, there's a trust factor associated with authorities demanding we take the vaccine or else. Other reasons for not lining up first was seeing the evolving data in conflict with the message. Clearly there was a low risk of serious illness from covid for the vast majority of healthy people. Then we noticed vaccination wasn't preventing transmission as hoped or claimed. The vaccine waned more than expected; the virus mutated faster; natural immunity was more robust than claimed, and many other valid reasons for not subscribing to pfizer.
the_third_wave 3y ago
A few more years with these types of 'studies' will bring down trust in science - or at least The Science™ but many people will not make a distinction between science and The Science™ - enough for it to become irrelevant in the eyes of 'the general public'. Also, what is it with the SARS2 scare mongering these last few months? I realise there is an election on the schedule in the USA and that some people there were quite satisfied with the leeway the pandemic gave them to bend and twist the rules of such events but do they really expect that strategy to work this time around? How is that going to work with the rest of the world having relegated SARS2 to the list of annoying seasonal infections which are just a part of life, no worse than most other forms of the common cold?
darkclouds 3y ago
It shows the conformity of people educated in science. Now if God had made the vaccine, plenty of religious people would have been first in line, and if the vaccine was rumoured to make your neck redder, then red necks would have been first in line!

36 points by alwillis 3y ago

This is pretty funny, because people that tend to be obsessed with IQ (the bell curve crowd) tend to be antivax ("free thinkers") and also kinda obsessed with Sweden's COVID policies. As for the study, yes why wouldn't you expect the smartest people to make the blindingly obvious smart choice.

cvccvroomvroom 3y ago
There's demonstrably intelligent and then there's obsession about "proving" measurements of it (MENSA etc). There is some overlap, but the latter seems to originate from insecurities. Interestingly, wealth potential is positively correlated with self-control, which, in turn, is correlated to large degree with intelligence, and then again correlated with more mental health concerns.

SubiculumCode 3y ago

Educated people don't tend to work in retail where continual interactions with the general public will have indoubtedly exposed their immune system to covid hundreds to thousands of times already... probably benefit more from the covid immunizations than joe at the supermarket will.

triyambakam 3y ago

It says those who registered for military service. I know that it is required in Sweden, but does this account for exemptions? I.e. does the data exclude people who e.g. went to college instead of the military?

tpmx 3y ago
Based on the source link I belive the article writer misunderstood that part. These studies tend to be about the mandatory screening (mustering) process. Back then it was mandatory for all males to go through two days of testing (physiology/medical/intelligence/psychology). Out of these some number where selected for military service. This is a data goldmine for studies these days since the data can be directly linked to various outcomes later in life on an individual level via their national identification numbers. tl;dr: Most likely it includes both those that did military service at first and those that went directly to college. (Source: Am Swedish, did this screening/mustering in 1996.)

tredre3 3y ago

> The results suggest that the complexity of the vaccination decision may make it difficult for individuals with lower cognitive abilities to understand the benefits of vaccination. Or maybe dumber people wanted to get vaccinated as fast as smarter people but the process to get an appointment was just ridiculous so they gave up or procrastinated? I was in Canada at the time. The process to get the vaccine wasn't complicated but it was convoluted and it took a couple days for it to finally give me an appointment so I almost gave up. At no point did I question the need for a vaccine. I guess that makes me dumb?

wnevets 3y ago
> Or maybe dumber people wanted to get vaccinated as fast as smarter people but the process to get an appointment was just ridiculous so they gave up or procrastinated? It couldn't have been easier where I am located. The vaccine mega site was so well run and organized, it was very impressive.

pizzafeelsright 3y ago

That's one interpretation of the data.

DoreenMichele 3y ago

Coauthor Mattias Ohman, PhD, said that making vaccination appointments for people accelerated uptake in both groups. "Logging on to a website, finding an appointment, booking it, going there and getting vaccinated may have been too many steps for some people," he said. I will also note that people with poorer cognitive ability may face other barriers as well, such as logistical issues. They may have less money -- which can be a practical barrier even if the shot is free -- may have transportation issues, etc. I was one of the top 3 students of my graduating high school class, had the highest SAT score and won a National Merit Scholarship to a prestigious school. I'm also seriously medically handicapped and it frequently impairs my cognitive ability. So I'm both "a smart person" and also cognitively impaired.

jovial_cavalier 3y ago

New study suggests that people who disagree with me are dumb and bad

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

brucethemoose2 3y ago

I was the first person at my (Florida) CVS to get the Omicron booster. The pharmacist literally opened the first vaccine shipment right in front of me. ...And there was no one else in line. Heck, I had to seek out and research the Omicron booster because it wasn't in the news or any kind of notification I normally get. Most people I asked had no idea it was a thing. I postulate that there wouldn't even be enough data where I live for such a study, because people don't seem to care about vaccines.

fithisux 3y ago

racism alert !

exodust 3y ago

> "...difficult for people with lower cognitive abilities to understand the benefits of vaccination." Not a great theory. Most hesitancy wasn't anti-vaccination in general, it was specifically anti-covid vaccination. Hesitancy can imply a greater degree of scrutiny and thought behind decisions. Those lining up first would include those who trust vaccination in general, but also those who do as they're told without question. Smart or dumb, there's a trust factor associated with authorities demanding we take the vaccine or else. Other reasons for not lining up first was seeing the evolving data in conflict with the message. Clearly there was a low risk of serious illness from covid for the vast majority of healthy people. Then we noticed vaccination wasn't preventing transmission as hoped or claimed. The vaccine waned more than expected; the virus mutated faster; natural immunity was more robust than claimed, and many other valid reasons for not subscribing to pfizer.

the_third_wave 3y ago

A few more years with these types of 'studies' will bring down trust in science - or at least The Science™ but many people will not make a distinction between science and The Science™ - enough for it to become irrelevant in the eyes of 'the general public'. Also, what is it with the SARS2 scare mongering these last few months? I realise there is an election on the schedule in the USA and that some people there were quite satisfied with the leeway the pandemic gave them to bend and twist the rules of such events but do they really expect that strategy to work this time around? How is that going to work with the rest of the world having relegated SARS2 to the list of annoying seasonal infections which are just a part of life, no worse than most other forms of the common cold?

darkclouds 3y ago

It shows the conformity of people educated in science. Now if God had made the vaccine, plenty of religious people would have been first in line, and if the vaccine was rumoured to make your neck redder, then red necks would have been first in line!