Between Faith and the Needle: Intrinsic Religiosity, Belief in Science, and COVID-19 Vaccination in a Six-Religion...

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the crucial role of vaccination for global health, yet uptake has differed widely across religious groups. Religiosity may reduce vaccine acceptance by lowering belief in science, but cross-faith comparisons remain scarce. This study (N = 1,730) examined how intrinsic religiosity and belief in science jointly predict COVID-19 vaccination intentions and behaviors among Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and non-believers. Multilevel path analysis showed substantial group differences. Non-believers reported the strongest belief in science, followed by Buddhists and Hindus, while Muslims, Catholics, and Protestants scored lower. Across all groups, higher religiosity was related to weaker belief in science, most strongly among Protestants and Catholics, and least among Hindus. Belief in science predicted COVID-19 vaccination intentions across all groups and self-reported vaccination status in most groups, except Catholics and non-believers. Mediation results indicated that lower belief in science explained the religiosity-vaccination link, especially among Protestants and Muslims. These findings offer one of the first broad cross-religious comparisons of the interplay between faith, belief in science, and vaccination. Thus, public health strategies should be tailored to religious contexts, emphasizing the role of trusted leaders and culturally sensitive messaging to strengthen belief in science and improve vaccine uptake worldwide.