# Short report: association between self-reported COVID-19 experience and contemptuous beliefs about pandemic management among German citizens and healthcare professionals

## TL;DR

People who had personal experiences with COVID-19 were less likely to hold contemptuous views about pandemic management, while those with vaccine side effects or no patient care were more likely to feel contempt.

## Contribution

This study empirically links personal pandemic experiences to contemptuous beliefs about pandemic management, focusing on German citizens and healthcare professionals.

## Key findings

- Citizens who had a COVID-19 infection were less likely to hold contemptuous beliefs (OR: 0.58).
- Those with vaccine side effects were more likely to hold contemptuous beliefs (OR: 1.50).
- Healthcare professionals who did not care for COVID-19 patients were twice as likely to hold contemptuous beliefs (OR: 2.10).

## Abstract

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the importance of public adherence to pandemic management measures. Contempt for these measures could undermine compliance in future pandemics. This study explored associations between self-reported COVID-19 experiences and contemptuous beliefs about COVID-19 pandemic management.

A cross-sectional online survey study was conducted in September 2024 with 964 German citizens and 423 healthcare professionals from respondi panels (Cologne, Germany). Respondents reported their attitudes toward eight contemptuous statements regarding COVID-19 pandemic management and their personal COVID-19 experiences, including infection, vaccine side effects, long COVID, and patient care (for professionals). Associations were analyzed using logistic regression and Mann–Whitney U tests.

Citizens with self-reported experience of COVID-19 infections were less likely to hold contemptuous beliefs (OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.39–0.85; P = .005), while those with experience of vaccine side effects were considerably more likely (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.10–1.92; P = .009). Long COVID had no significant effect. Among professionals, not having cared for COVID-19 patients doubled the likelihood of contempt (OR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.28–3.45; P = .003).

Findings suggest that experiential factors may contribute to belief formation—an area with limited empirical attention but potential relevance for addressing societal polarization.