MD, PhD, MAE, FMedSci, FRSB, FRCP, FRCPEd.

Swedish researchers examined the relationship between cognitive ability and prompt COVID-19 vaccination using individual-level data on more than 700,000 individuals in Sweden.

The analyses were based on individual-level data from several administrative registers in Sweden. The study population consisted of all men and women who enlisted for military service in Sweden between 1979 and 1997. During this period, enlistment was mandatory for men the year they turned 18 or 19. Women could not enlist for military service before 1980 but were then allowed to do so on a voluntary basis.

The study population thus covered almost the entire population of Swedish men born between 1962 and 1979, in total 750,381, as well as the sample of women who enlisted during the period of 1980–1997, in total 2703. In addressing the role of confounders, the researchers analyzed the sub-sample of 6750 twin brothers (3375 twin-pairs) in the enlistment records (identified by shared biological mother and year and month of birth).

The results show a strong positive association between cognitive ability and swift vaccination, which remained even after controlling for confounding variables with a twin-design. Consistent with this, the researchers showed that simplifying the vaccination decision through pre-booked vaccination appointments alleviates almost all of the inequality in vaccination behavior.

The authors concluded that the complexity of the vaccination decision may make it difficult for individuals with lower cognitive abilities to understand the benefits of vaccination.

On this blog, we have repeatedly discussed similar or related findings, e.g.:

I know, it would be politically incorrect, unkind, unhelpful, etc. but is anyone not tempted to simplify the issue by assuming that people who are against (COVID) vaccinations are intellectually challenged?

110 Responses to Are people who oppose COVID-19 vaccinations intellectually challenged?

  • That’s a tempting assumption but I doubt it’s that simple. Take the example of a couple of local anti-vaxxers I often clash with in the letters page of our local paper. Not just ant-vax but full spectrum conspiracy theorists. Several of them are undoubtedly a bit dim as you can tell from the writing, the confused arguments and self contradictions.

    But there is one who is undoubtedly intelligent and well read in philosophy and some aspects of science. However it is clear he chooses to use his intelligence to construct bogus arguments to support his various obsessions. These include condemnation of ‘scientism’ sometimes misusing Kuhn to proclaim his nonsense as a ‘new paradigm’.

    Why do this? I suspect because it gives him a leadership position amongst the conspiracy clan, maybe also a sense of exceptionalism.

  • Keep it simple, make it easy?

    That worked in nursing homes, and one wouldn’t think those are a repository for the highest intellectual acuity.

    At this point the train has left the station. More like a million bumper cars careening all directions.

  • Edzard, you seem to be obsessed with condemning anyone who chose of their own free will NOT to be impregnated with a cocktail of synthetic chemicals that have not been subjected to long-term safety and efficacy trials.
    According to your perspective, I am intellectually challenged!
    A silly description was created by the media during the Covid pandemic: ‘Vaccine Hesitant’ – the word hesitant infers a person is unable to make decisions and dithers by nature. I prefer the term: ‘Vaccine Cautious’ – i.e. a person conducts their own due-diligence in order to make an informed decision. I did just that, and I am one of those who declined this untested ‘jab’. In fact at age 77 and counting, I would be highly embarrassed if I ever suffered a sore throat, never mind a bacterial or viral infection.
    I know you always want ‘evidence’ from contributors – and the following is just one of many so called RARE incidents concerning covid ‘vaccines’ that have been published in medical journals:

    https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/381/bmj.p907.full.pdf

    • “According to your perspective, I am intellectually challenged!”
      evidently yes!
      because you don’t even relaize that this is not my perspective but my reporting the results of a recent study.

    • Edzard, you seem to be obsessed with condemning anyone who chose of their own free will NOT to be impregnated with a cocktail of synthetic chemicals that have not been subjected to long-term safety and efficacy trials.
      According to your perspective, I am intellectually challenged!

      If the cap fits, Mike.

      There’s an awful lot of logical fallacies packed into that paragraph. Have a look at it again and see if you can work out what some of them are. It might be a bit of a struggle given your manifest intellectual challenges but just see if you can have a go.

      • Lenny said “If the cap fits” etc etc. You and a small minority of responders to my postings always fail to offer a counter argument that has any intellectual value. What do you mean by “see if you can work out” (!) – you should offer your own opinion as to WHY you believe I have “intellectual challenges”, your comments are worthless to readers of this topic.

        • @Mike Grant

          With your superior intellect, you clearly outshine everyone else here. Yet you fail to understand the fact that in general posting of intellectual value tend to attract responses of intellectual value.

    • Vaccine hesitancy has been a term for decades. It was first applied ist least as far back as 1994 that I could find. It predates the covid pandemic but well over 20 years.

      • “Vaccine hesitancy has been a term for decades…1994…”

        Perhaps, but the meaning of the term has changed over time.

        Merriam-Webster

        vaccine hesitancy noun
        : the reluctance or refusal to have oneself or one’s children vaccinated

        First Known Use 2002, in the meaning defined above
        https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine%20hesitancy

        vaccine hesitant adjective
        : characterized by reluctance or refusal to have oneself or one’s children vaccinated

        First Known Use 2005, in the meaning defined above
        https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaccine%20hesitant

        Vaccine hesitancy: Definition, scope and determinants
        Noni E. MacDonald; SAGE Working Group on Vaccine Hesitancy
        Vaccine. 2015 Aug 14;33(34):4161-4.
        DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.04.036
        PMID: 25896383

        8. Definition of vaccine hesitancy
        Following its deliberations, the WG decided upon the following definition:

        Vaccine hesitancy refers to delay in acceptance or refusal of vaccination despite availability of vaccination services. Vaccine hesitancy is complex and context specific, varying across time, place and vaccines. It is influenced by factors such as complacency, convenience and confidence.

        See also:
        Bussink-Voorend, D., Hautvast, J.L.A., Vandeberg, L. et al.
        A systematic literature review to clarify the concept of vaccine hesitancy.
        Nat Hum Behav 6, 1634–1648 (2022).
        https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01431-6

  • Hello Mr. Ernst,
    I really like reading your blog and recently i have stumbled upon red light therapy/photobiomodulation. I tried searching your blog and i did not find any information about this therapy. Could you perhaps make an article about it?

  • There’s (lots of) evidence that covid 19 resulting in intubation knocks off an incredible 8 to 10 IQ points on average. https://www.google.com/search?q=covid+iq+points+loss+intubation&oq=covid+iq+points+loss+intubation (it’s even worse for those who don’t survive, of course)

    There’s also evidence that covid infected people who are badly affected and end up in hospital don’t recall the experience.
    https://www.google.com/search?q=covid+time+loss+hospital+stay+memory

    The thickest among us are truly hurting themselves.

  • I don’t understand, Donald Trump fast tracked vaccine and actually taken. What gives?

    • Jim, welcome to the weird world of Edzard Ernst.

      I have told him, repeatedly, that he doesn’t understand American politics, and should stop commenting on it the way he does, but, he persists. I have a medical specialist, I see in my small town, who also has this problem. He’s Pakistani and goes off on the president constantly, always followed by the question, “Don’t you agree?” This puts me in an awful situation, because he’s my Doctor, and he’s forcing me to lie to him or stay silent. Because I need his services. Just like here.

      I, too, am disgusted by the professor’s lies – if only because they reveal he’s not very media savvy – but he still does good science, so I still read him religiously – though he’s become another fanatic, suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, which is an unfortunate problem that an MD should see someone about.

      With all of his faults, Donald Trump has been a fixture of American life since the 1980s, so to buy the post-2016 Hillary Clinton-manufactured lie that there’s something unusual, or Hitler-like about him, is ridiculous. To dismiss all the evidence of her 7-year long Russia hoax – while trying to paint him as unusually malignant – borders on the insane. (As Secretary of State, she brought slavery back to Libya, for goodness’ sake, what’s the professor consider “progressive” about voting for her, after that, when Trump’s started no wars?) Face it – though she can’t either: Most people did not want her as leader, and that is what Trump’s being made to pay for.

      At the very least, Professor, be credible and seriously chew on the idea there are other views to consider on Trump – like those of Americans: When Andrew Wakefield was making himself a pariah in Britain, the American anti-vaccine movement was, almost exclusively, a program of the left, embraced by the likes of Oprah (who campaigned with Obama) Jim Carrey, Jenny McCarthy, and Robert De Niro. Andrew Wakefield set-up shop in Austin, Texas specifically because it is a liberal stronghold in a conservative state, sporting the motto “Keep Austin weird“. RFK, Jr. is a Democrat.

      The embrace of the right is a recent phenomena, and real, but the professor has this story totally twisted. Why he treats conservatives as more dangerous is a mystery, when it’s been King Charles’ unpersuadable NewAge-worshiping liberal fascists who have been spreading all this nonsense, world-wide, with a desire to make it go mainstream, for decades.

      I personally see them as being the threat to society, while the Professor insists I vote with them every time.

      • To all who are too intelectually challenged to comprehend this, let me put it bluntly:
        MY POST IS NOT ABOUT THE USA!

        • You come off as intellectually challenged, yourself, if you don’t realize this was about the USA as soon as you mentioned Trump – and lied about him – again.

        • I’ll say. Your post is about Swedes: a homogenous group of 10 million people. The USA is a wildly diverse group of 330 million people, from all over the world, with so many reasons for what we do, your conclusions don’t really make any sense, when it comes to us, except as maybe somehow related to Yurp’s always fascinating love affair with eugenics, which most people frown upon, nowadays.

          Is this a sign you’re ” intellectually challenged “?

          • Perhaps you want to read my ‘conclusions’ again:
            “I know, it would be politically incorrect, unkind, unhelpful, etc. but is anyone not tempted to simplify the issue by assuming that people who are against (COVID) vaccinations are intellectually challenged?”
            Would it be fair to say that I ask a question?
            Would it be correst to state that I did not draw a conclusion?

        • I agree, this approach is “unhelpful,” that’s for sure – and wonder why a Doctor would want to be so?

          You’re just “asking questions,” but you’re also being a weasel. As disingenuous as a man can be. I don’t have to wonder how homeopathy lasted for 200 years in the face of scientists acting this badly.

      • At the very least, Professor, be credible and seriously chew on the idea there are other views to consider on Trump – like those of Americans: When Andrew Wakefield was making himself a pariah in Britain, the American anti-vaccine movement was, almost exclusively, a program of the left, embraced by the likes of Oprah (who campaigned with Obama) Jim Carrey, Jenny McCarthy, and Robert De Niro. Andrew Wakefield set-up shop in Austin, Texas specifically because it is a liberal stronghold in a conservative state, sporting the motto “Keep Austin weird“. RFK, Jr. is a Democrat.

        This is an interesting point that I hadn’t considered.

  • I have a hard time when a scientist tells lies, Trump endorsed vaccine, just google it. Just amazing. Trust the science when scientist lie.

  • A scientist should be researching, not making shit up. Go with the facts, not political idealogy.

  • You scientists are owned by a political party, you are sick fakes. I really disgusted and you should be ashamed for your minsinformation. Only thing we have in common, Trump is a dick. At least I tell the truth.

  • You scientists are owned by a political party, you are sick fakes.

    Any evidence to support your assertions, Jim?

    You antivaxers are a bunch of tinfoil-hatted halfwits.

    See? We can all do it!

    The difference being that my assertion is an empirical fact backed with evidence.

  • @Lenny

    I doubt jim understands the meaning of the words “emperical”, “fact” & “evidence”. I bet he routinely mistakes his farts for evidence against vaccines.

  • I have noticed a strange phenomenon: I only need to mention TRUMP once in a post, and this brings out the dimmest coments of them all. One is tempted to conclude that TRUMP followers are not very bright.

    • Or maybe you’re not so bright for constantly antagonizing people who did nothing to you. What makes you so evil? I know you’re misinformed, but must you compound that with name-calling? Do you think such juvenile behavior makes you look intelligent?

      Jesus, you are such a disappointment,….especially as a physician – and a physician who wonders why the credibility of your profession is in question these days.

    • By the way, you have a reputation for lying about Trump, and America, so those are no mere mentions.

    • @Edzard

      One is tempted to conclude that TRUMP followers are not very bright.

      Well, Trump is of course not very bright. Combined with his tremendous success in brazenly showing himself as an extremely narcissistic compulsively lying and cheating sociopath who doesn’t care about anyone or anything except himself, that total absence of intelligence, sophistication and even basic human decency has become a sort of badge of honour, a sign that it’s OK to be a stupid, obnoxious and anti-social bully. Which seems to appeal to an awful lot of similarly disposed people. Which in turn says to me that we humans as a social species still have some serious evolving to do.

      • Christopher Hitchens said it is a special sort of self-deception, stupid people engage in, when they think they’re smarter than the President of the United States, who – by his position and title – has already proven them wrong.

        • Christopher Hitchens wrote that Reagan was “dumb as a stump” – he would probably have said something similar or worse about Trump

          • Not Even a Hedgehog
            The stupidity of Ronald Reagan.

            By Christopher Hitchens
            June 07, 2004
            Slate
            https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2004/06/the-stupidity-of-ronald-reagan.html

            “The fox, as has been pointed out by more than one philosopher, knows many small things, whereas the hedgehog knows one big thing. Ronald Reagan was neither a fox nor a hedgehog. He was as dumb as a stump.”

            “… I have been wondering ever since not just about the stupidity of American politics, but about the need of so many American intellectuals to prove themselves clever by showing that they are smarter than the latest idiot in power, or the latest Republican at any rate.”

          • Do you always let speculation be your guide? He also said Bill Clinton was a three-time rapist, so should I side with him, and the Democrats who protect him?

          • I think Reagan started the era of dumb Republican presidents and/or presidential candidates.

          • We define “dumb” differently:

            Kennedy got us into Vietnam, and not only carried on an affair with Marilyn Monroe with his brother, but may have killed her and got himself killed by the mob.

            Jimmy Carter let gay icon Harvey Milk trick him into kidnapping a child for cult leader Jim Jones, who went on to kill 900 blacks in Guyana.

            Bill Clinton still has three women, outstanding, credibly saying he raped them.

            Obama campaigned with Oprah, and even gave her the Medal of Freedom, after she endorsed The Secret and made Dr. Oz “America’s Doctor.” He also killed more civilians than any other president, after he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

            And Joe Biden showered with his daughter, and is currently going down for the biggest corruption case in American history, over a business with his crackhead son, who was kindly sleeping with his brother’s widow, as they all spent the last seven years trying to convince us of Hillary’s story that Donald Trump was peeing on hookers in Russian hotel rooms.

            I know: to Democrats, THAT is a profile in courage, but I beg to differ.

          • if I were you, I would stick to music; for conspiracy theories you seem to be too ungifted.

          • We define “dumb” differently:

            Clearly, you reside in a different plane of existence, reserved for RWNJs like yourself, where dictionaries don’t exist and words mean whatever one wants them to be.

            P.S: Try to wipe the foam off the corner of your mouth before you type your next comment.

          • And, if I were you, I wouldn’t mention ‘conspiracy theories,’ without defining what you mean. You keep talking as though I’m wrong about something, but you don’t define what it is, or provide any links to back up anything you say about it.

            You just call names like a child.

          • BTW – how’s it feel to be on the same political side as almost every quack in America?

          • “BTW – how’s it feel to be on the same political side as almost every quack in America?”

            BTW, 95.75% of the total world population does not reside in the United States of America.

          • @The Crack Emcee

            1) The USA is not the navel of the world. Even if you constantly express that here.

            2) Trump is neither the president of the USA nor the emperor of the world. Even if you kiss his feet incessantly.

            3) Edzard Ernst does not live in the US, he lives in the UK. Many of the commentators are from Europe. Your pro-Trump propaganda thus only shows your small-mindedness and limited worldview. See point 1).

          • hera, hear!!!

          • @The Crack Emcee

            You just call names like a child.

            I’d say that the moniker ‘Crack Emcee’ does not exactly invite people to take you seriously (and yes, I resisted the temptation to call you ‘Quack Emcee’). Your politically motivated ranting and (indeed) name-calling and insults do not make things any better.

            Given that so far, it is wholly unclear what your point is, I’d say that you are the one behaving like a brat who likes to cause chaos and confusion, because that’s how you keep on top of things. Much like one Donald T., actually.

          • he probably loves commenting here because this is one of the few sites from where he is not yet banned.

          • No, as I and others said before, I am one of the many people who ‘lurk’ here, because they think you do good science – but you’re also an ignorant asshole politically, clearly suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome.

            I will now return to lurking, because, as I’ve also said, talking to you guys – and discovering ‘science people’ are this stupid and defensive – is depressing.

          • Richard Rasker,

            The Crack Emcee is my stage name. God, you guys are not very bright.

          • @The Crack Emcee

            The Crack Emcee is my stage name.

            No shit, Sherlock. But partaking in a discussion under a name like that does not exactly do much for your credibility …

            God, you guys are not very bright.

            …. and neither do these words, especially when coming from someone who appears to hold Donald Trump – arguably one of the stupidest human beings on the planet – in high regard.

            I am still completely mystified why anyone would like, much less vote for, this utter self-serving a**hole with the mental age of a six-year-old, who doesn’t give a hoot about America, democracy, the truth or even his own voters, and is only interested in being on top of the heap, making himself look good. This guy would not hesitate one second to destroy or sell out the US if that would serve his personal interest. And this is not just my opinion; in every single ranking, Trump ends up as one of the worst presidents ever, usually just one or two places above James Buchanan.

          • As far as my name goes, I’m not going to make apologies for you guys making assumptions.

            And anyone who confesses “I am still completely mystified” should be asking for more information – not acting like they have enough. AND, if you’ve been reading, you saw this:

            “One reason I like Trump is because he opposes the Clintons: the Clintons are the people who unleashed alternative medicines AKA SCAM on the United States, a position I would think Professor Ernst would be supportive of, if he were able to see things clearly”

            And I’ve said more – all with links – which none of you challenged, in favor of this name-calling approach you (all) seem to love so much.

            You say “This guy would not hesitate one second to destroy or sell out the US,” and yet – that didn’t happen when he was leader – and it’s now part of the discredited Hillary Clinton ‘Russia hoax’ he’s-a-terrorist narrative.

            How many people, on this supposedly-Science website, are going to continue to ignore evidence in order to make these bogus claims?

          • One more thing:

            Whether or not Donald Trump is our worst president is merely an OPINION, whereas, whether or not the Clintons, and other Trump critics, gave us SCAM – and the anti-vaccine meme – is NOT debatable.

            You, Sir, are on ‘the wrong side of history.’

          • @The Crack Emcee
            I don’t know about Bill Clinton’s legacy in this respect, but apart from all his other negative traits (near-illiteracy, extreme narcissism, hypocrisy, compulsive lying, sociopathy bordering on psychopathy, nepotism, strong authoritarian tendencies, propensity for violence(*)), Trump was also found supporting at least some SCAM tropes, e.g. by saying that vaccines cause autism, and by consistently downplaying the pandemic (“it’s all over by Easter”), even though his advisers and health officials (including Fauci) urged him to take this pandemic seriously. He also suggested injecting disinfectant and the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19.

            Anyway, I’ll leave it at this. Experience shows that Trump supporters are impervious to facts, starting with the fact that their idol is not exactly a good example of an enlightened human being, to put it mildly.

            *: “Can’t we just shoot them in the leg or something?

          • Trump, the genius: who could remember the terms “Person Woman Man Camera TV”. In the correct order!

            https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/us/politics/person-woman-man-camera-tv-trump.html

          • “Trump was also found supporting at least some SCAM tropes”

            I know that – and he’s not alone – but he wasn’t the one that STARTED PROMOTING it – Andrew Wakefield and the people on the American left did. Hell, Wakefield was fucking Elle Macpherson. Loopy Marianne Williamson is now running for president, along with RFK, Jr., but you guys are never making the connection with the Democrat party. You’re all about Trump. Beginning around 2007, the American left were the ones who insured that everyone started believing that shit, and you want to let them off the hook just because you’re distracted by the media saying Trump’s “the flavor of the month” who bought what your liberal NewAge heroes were selling, for decades, before he ever spoke about it.

            Anybody can see through you

            “Experience shows that Trump supporters are impervious to facts”

            Impervious to facts, my ass. You, moron, I’ve given you nothing but facts – with links – and you guys haven’t addressed any of them directly, except to say you don’t know.

            Put that shit on your tombstone.

          • “Experience shows that Trump supporters are impervious to facts”

            Meanwhile, “[Congress has] found nearly 200 Suspicious Activity Reports from Treasury adding up to at least $10 million that were laundered through 20 LLCs or more controlled by Bidens while the Bidens never explained what that money bought,” but the Associated Press is reporting ‘without evidence.’

            You people are all the same, and all you have is projection.

          • “Trump, the genius: who could remember the terms “Person Woman Man Camera TV”. In the correct order!”

            Conan O’Brien slams lazy Trump material: ‘Doesn’t-he-suck isn’t a joke’

          • @The Crack Emcee
            (OK, and this is really my last post in this thread).

            Your comments remind me of the following:

            “The fact that regular medicine has its shortcomings and failures does not mean that SCAM treatments are any good.” ->

            “The fact that democrats were responsible for promoting SCAM does not mean that Trump is a good man.

          • @The Crack EmCee

            Say, have you actually donated diligently to Trump yet? You know the man is just a poor billionaire in debt and can only maintain his tasteless inflated lifestyle because people like you keep funding him.

            By the way, anyone who considers Ed Morrisey and the NYP trustworthy and balanced sources also thinks the moon is made of cheese.

            Just kidding. 😀

      • Sorry but, America is a two-party system, so it was Trump or the party with values that have protected a three-time rapist for decades. And that three-time rapist is also the guy behind the unleashing of SCAM on America and the world, so, I’d think, readers of this blog should care, and want to get the politics right.

        My bad.

    • You mentioned him twice and lied both times, google is your friend.

  • wtf, you folks are delusional, Trump endorsed the vaccine and fast tracked it. I am 4 deep in covid vaccines but you still say I am anti-vaccines. Just be honest, not hard to do.
    Trump is a narcissit, just like all politicians. Did you just wake up to figure this out?

  • I am sure your Rasker friend will continue the lies, unbelievable. I will not stop reading blog, you have good information most of the time.

  • You and Rascal are two peas in a pot.
    Everyone knows Trump is an asshole, he made our middle class life much better.

  • By the way, if Trump is the one who made it OK to be an antisocial bully, liberals have definitely taken the bait.

  • The Crack EmCee should stop smoking crack. Maybe then his delusions will subside.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crack_cocaine#Psychological

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