An early pandemic survey found that respondents’ intentions to receive COVID-19 vaccines were linked more to their media literacy and opinion of health experts than knowledge of the virus or previous vaccination behavior. In the study, researchers also found that for respondents who had recently refused a flu vaccine, higher COVID-19 knowledge actually correlated with lower future vaccine intentions. The results indicate that people were engaging in what’s called motivated reasoning: the psychological process by which people consciously and selectively use facts to lead to a conclusion that reinforces their desired beliefs rather than rationally analyzing the evidence.