New study uncovers attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination status in romantic relationships

A recent study explored the influence of COVID-19 vaccination status on people’s preferences in romantic relationships. Researchers found that individuals’ vaccination decisions impacted their dating preferences, with a significant portion of participants prioritizing vaccination status in their potential partners. Other factors such as race, gender, sexual identity, and political affiliation also showed varying levels of influence on openness to a partner’s vaccination status.

The new findings have been published in the journal Sexuality & Culture.

The motivation behind this study was to understand how people’s preferences and attitudes regarding COVID-19 vaccination status might influence their choices in romantic relationships. The researchers were curious to learn whether individuals considered their partner’s vaccination status as an important factor when looking for a romantic partner, especially in the context of the ongoing pandemic.

Since the COVID-19 vaccine had become available and was being widely discussed, the researchers wanted to explore how this new element might shape people’s perceptions of potential partners.

“It is a timely set of questions considering the current global health landscape, and my colleagues and I are interested in anything that may impact romantic relationships dating behavior broadly,” said study author Jessica T. Campbell, a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University.

The researchers analyzed data collected from the Singles in America (SIA) study, which is an annual survey conducted by the relationship company Match. The survey, which was conducted in August 2021, was designed to gather information about singles’ dating lives and preferences. The participants were recruited from diverse demographic backgrounds through opt-in Internet research panels, which ensured a representative sample of single American adults.

The study included a total of 5,000 participants who were single American adults. The age of the participants ranged from 18 to 100 years, with an average age of 45.68 years. Of the participants, 36.9% identified as men, and 61.9% identified as women. The sample’s racial and ethnic distribution was relatively similar to the United States population. About 67.2% identified as White. The remaining 32.8% represented other racial and ethnic backgrounds.

The participants were asked about their own vaccination status and their preferences for their potential dating partners’ vaccination statuses. They also provided demographic information such as age, gender, sexual identity, race, and political affiliation.

The majority of the participants (approximately 64.6%) reported that they had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, while about 25.8% had not received any COVID-19 vaccine, and around 9.8% had started but not completed their vaccination. Half of the participants (49.9%) said they definitely wanted their dating partners to have been vaccinated against COVID-19. An additional 18.9% mentioned that they wanted their dating partners to be vaccinated but were open to making exceptions.

In contrast, 6.1% stated that they did not want their dating partners to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Finally, 25% reported that they did not care whether their dating partners had been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The researchers found that there was a correlation between participants’ own vaccination statuses and their preferences for potential partners’ vaccination statuses. Those who were already vaccinated were more likely to want their dating partners to be vaccinated as well. On the other hand, individuals who were not vaccinated were more open to dating partners who hadn’t been vaccinated.

“Generally, people seem to date people who match their vaccination status,” Campbell told PsyPost.

Interestingly, participants with no political affiliation were more open to unvaccinated partners. This contrasted with previous findings that showed political conservatives were more hesitant towards the COVID-19 vaccine. This could be linked to these individuals feeling disconnected from political discussions about vaccines.

“Vaccination status may to some extent echo individual ideological beliefs,” Campbell said.

Individuals from minority groups were also more open to unvaccinated partners. This might be due to various factors, including societal stigmatization and the desire for connection in smaller dating pools.

Transgender individuals were more likely than cisgender people to be open to a partner’s vaccination status with some exceptions or to not want their partner to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Bisexual individuals were more likely than gay and lesbian individuals to say they don’t really care about their future partner’s vaccination status.

Participants identifying as Black/African-American were more likely than others to say they would accept a partner’s vaccination status with exceptions or to say they don’t want a vaccinated partner. People who identified as South Asian were also more likely to be open to an unvaccinated partner with exceptions

“I think that a lot of the minoritized groups being receptive to unvaccinated dating partner was a surprise initially,” Campbell told PsyPost, “but within the context of health-related mistreatment leading to broader medical mistrust, it certainly makes sense!”

This study added to what we know about how people feel about their partner’s COVID-19 vaccination status, focusing on single adults who make up a significant portion of the population. However, there are some limitations to consider. For example, some people might have chosen not to get vaccinated because they believed they already had immunity from a previous COVID-19 infection. The study didn’t look into why people made vaccination choices.

“Though this data is representative, it is only assessing U.S. Americans in August of 2021, meaning that these attitudes may be quite different when considering different countries and at different timepoints,” Campbell said.

“Future research should examine if these attitudes toward potential romantic partners are maintained over time, and also assess the extent to which these attitudes are translated to actual dating behavior.”

The study, “American Singles’ Attitudes Toward Future Romantic/Sexual Partners’ COVID-19 Vaccination Status: Evidence for both Vigilance and Indifference in a National Sample“, was authored by Jessica T. Campbell, Magaret Bennett-Brown, Alexandra S. Marcotte, Ellen M. Kaufman, Zoe Moscovici, Olivia R. Adams, Sydney Lovins, Justin R. Garcia, and Amanda N. Gesselman.