Parents information behavior: Typology of vaccine attitudes in the context of information source use

Although some studies indicate that vaccine risks are not a major public concern, vaccine hesitancy is nevertheless increasing. The “cure” is not simply higher information‐literacy levels; many investigations emphasize that information must come from sources people trust. This article reports quantitative findings from a survey of 1061 Polish parents of children under six—a sample representative of that population—examining vaccination attitudes and related information behaviors. A k‐means clustering analysis identified five segments distinguished by general attitudes, willingness to vaccinate, trust in experts, and information‐seeking preferences: Vaccine/Authority Skeptics, Unengaged Adopters, Expert‐Guided Supporters, Advocates of Evidence‐Based Decisions, and Unquestioning Supporters. We focused particularly on information sources and media use across these attitudinal types. The results show significant differences in source usage patterns among the groups, indicating that communication strategies should be tailored to each segment's specific beliefs and preferences.