Testing the Cultural Cognition Hypothesis in a Canadian Undergraduate Student Population

Abstract

Background and Research Goals. This study aims to see the association between worldviews and HPV vaccine risk perceptions in a sample of Canadian undergraduate students enrolled in Health Sciences and Business programs at the University of Ottawa. It is a follow-up to the Kahan et al. (2010) research in the U.S. that showed the association to be present in a nationally representative U.S. sample. In addition to searching for this association in the Canadian context, this study examines whether worldviews differ between (a) men and women; and (b) students with health sciences and with business degrees. Furthermore, this study tests a set of candidate questions for supplementing the worldview questionnaire of Kahan et al. (2010). Design and Analysis. The data for the study was collected using an Internet-based questionnaire and the study was conducted in two phases. During the first phase, a customized worldview questionnaire was administered. During the second phase, questions related to HPV and Canadian healthcare system were presented. In order to analyze the data, regression models, correlation matrices, and MANOVAs were employed. Results. The findings of this study are that worldviews are related to HPV vaccine risk perceptions. However, though hierarchism was a better predictor then individualism in the Kahan et al. (2010) study, our present research indicates that individualism is a better predictor. Also, our findings, contrary to those of Kahan et al. (2010), suggest that the more individualistic a person is, the more likely he or she is to perceive the vaccine as being safe. With respect to gender, men were more hierarchical. Also, when females in health sciences were compared to women in business, the latter were also more hierarchical. Finally, three healthcare items were identified as possibly benefiting from refinement and inclusion in a worldview instrument more suited for the Canadian context.