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Knowledge About COVID-19: Coding Scheme and Frequency of the Application of Science Knowledge in Respondents' Explanations in an Authentic COVID-19-Related Situation.
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While scholars have highlighted how science communication reifies forms of structural inequality, especially race and gender, we examine the challenges science communication pose for religious minorities. Drawing on the disproportionate magnitude of COVID-19-related morbidity on Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Jews, we examined their processes of COVID-19...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... open question about the efficacy of quarantine was used to assess knowledge about COVID-19. Based on PISA's definition of scientific explanation we evaluated the application of scientific content knowledge to interpret and explain phenomena (OECD, 2017), using the following categories (Table 3): (1) respondent's position regarding the efficacy of quarantine (intercoder reliability κ = .804), (2) correctness of the answer (intercoder reliability κ = .822), ...Citations
... However, while previous articles have explored topics such as Jewish ethics (Rashi, 2020(Rashi, , 2021(Rashi, , 2022, the impact of virtual prayer practices (Kühle and Larsen 2021, Parish, 2020, Ben-Lulu 2021, mental health in conservative/traditional Jewish communities (Pirutinsky et al., 2020), attitudes toward vaccination and the healthcare system (Carmody et al., 2021), the relationship between Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jews and their rabbis (Cohen et al., 2021) and their processes of COVID-19 health decision-making (Taragin-Zeller et al., 2020), and the stigmatization of Jewish communities for non-compliance with guidelines (Gilman, 2021), this study will focus on the textual dimension. ...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, synagogues faced closure, and many non-Orthodox communities transitioned their prayer services to online platforms. This presented a significant challenge for community leaders and rabbis who were faced with a profound community crisis. An innovative response emerged including new prayers and the adaptation of existing ones to better address the pandemic’s unique realities, integrating aspects of health, divinity, community, and the environment. This study engages in a textual analysis of these prayers, exploring how these mirror cultural and social attitudes toward the body and embodiment. While the body was seen during the COVID-19 period as problematic, an object of contagion and spreader of disease (e.g., by not keeping proper distance or masking), in these particular texts it is no longer slandered, but revealed as an obedient and disciplined agent. The prayers seek to overcome the disruption in the individual’s relationship with their body and with other bodies. The prayer authors propose to the worshipper, while also conceptually changing traditional ideas and practices, to view the body as an object that must be cleaned, vaccinated, purified, and allowed to continue its function. The concern for both the well-being of the living body and the dignity of the deceased extends to care for society and humanity as a whole. Therefore, this liturgy can be seen as a pragmatic means to promote a “theology of humanistic responsibility.”
... Since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, religious groups are challenged to accept scientifically driven dictums regarding segregation, social distancing, personal hygiene practices and receiving vaccinations (Campbell 2020;Schlag and Nord 2023). Moreover, state policies enforced shutdowns with restricted access to churches and religious schools (Campbell 2020;Gering and Cohen 2023;Mishol-Shauli and Golan 2024;Taragin-Zeller et al. 2020). Consequently, the significance of science communication to religious communities became paramount with the pandemic, and the role of media outlets that cater to religious communities gained prominence in an already growing field. ...
While religious dogma and science are often viewed at odds, scientific knowledge is increasingly integrated into religious journalism. This challenges the epistemic tenets that underlie the worldviews of religious readers. In this study, we aim to investigate the role of religious journalists as science gatekeepers and, more specifically, uncover their ethos in advocating science communication to their audience, amid widespread ambivalence. To this end, we focus on the ethical gaze of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jews in Israel. An enclaved religious group that has a history of challenging scientific precepts and has of late demonstrated various levels of ambivalence and resistance to scientifically inspired policies made during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, we conducted in-depth interviews with 20 Haredi editors, radio and print/online journalists, engaged with science reporting before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. The findings unveil several ethical facets employed by Haredi journalists: care, community, professionalism, and religion. The findings also outline the interaction between professional, religious, and communal codes of conduct, as they play out in bounded mediascapes. Accordingly, religious journalists’ role breaches traditional boundaries as they respond and strive to integrate multiple sources of knowledge for what they see as the betterment of their devout readers.
... While previous scholarship has focused on theological negotiations of science and religion, recent studies have paid attention to everyday perceptions of science while investigating lay religious believers' attitudes, views, identifications, and behaviors regarding science in real life (Elsdon-Baker and Lightman, 2020;Evans, 2018;Jones and Catto, 2019;Jones et al., 2020;Pear, 2022;Taragin-Zeller et al., 2020. This growing scholarship demonstrates how science-related decision-making is negotiated within and through many actors and systems of local knowledge since both scientific knowledge and socio-religious frameworks serve as cultural and epistemological tunnels (Canfield et al., 2020) of science and medicine 1 interpretations, attitudes, and behavior (Goldberg et al., 2019;Kasstan, 2021;Raucher, 2020;Rock-Singer, 2019;Taragin-Zeller, 2023). ...
A recent wave of studies has diversified science communication by emphasizing gender, race, and disability. In this article, we focus on the understudied lens of religion. Based on an analysis of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) science journalism and its readership, we identify four main strategies for tailoring science, which we call the four “R”s—removing, reclaiming, remodeling, and rubricating science. By analyzing how science communication is produced by and for a particular religious group, we reveal the diverse ways a religious-sensitive science communication is shaped by community gatekeepers, while also exploring the ethical and epistemological tensions this tailoring entails.
... Members of religious and ethnic minorities tend to deem communal belonging as their 'primary identity', the identity whose (perceived) characteristics take precedence (consciously or unconsciously) over other identities in behaviour (Castells 2011;Liebelt 2011;Tavory 2016). Non-religious institutions representing the state (and science) are often perceived as undermining this communal focus (Taragin-Zeller, Rozenblum, and Baram-Tsabari 2020). Scholarship consistently shows the importance of upholding a cohesive, positively oriented identity narrative to sustain individual wellbeing (Polkinghorne 1991;Randall 2014). ...
The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted relationships between religious communities and the state. Churches, religious authorities, and believers have been obligated to modify key activities (prayer, ceremonies) and weigh their religious identity against state prohibitions. Accordingly, we ask how members of a reclusive religious community negotiated and performed their identity under a prolonged emergency. We analyse intra-communal discourse concerning the state’s social distancing regulations during Covid-19 outbreaks and lockdowns that occurred in closed groups in messaging apps. Specifically, this research case-studies Jewish ultra-Orthodox communities in Israel (Haredim). Extensive analysis of over 2,000 WhatsApp and Telegram posts in 35 ultra-Orthodox groups over a two-year period indicates that participants constantly sought to affirm their primary, dominant, communal identity. While efforts to integrate adherence to state prohibitions into this primary identity were evident, these efforts were well accepted only when justifying them via affirmation of the communal identity – superseding medical, political, and practical concerns. The findings advance understanding of minority groups’ attitudes towards state directives and illuminate contemporary pathways of identity dynamics in online social networks. The findings may also be applicable in a broader sense to the study of discourse dynamics in echo chambers and filter bubbles.
... Dalyot & Baram-Tsabari, 2018;Laslo & Baram-Tsabari, 2021;Orr & Baram-Tsabari, 2018) report that when people discuss socio-scientific issues in the public sphere, their scientific literacy is not necessarily used to promote ideas and actions that are consistent with the scientific consensus (Laslo & Baram-Tsabari, 2021). For example, In the context of COVID-19, studies have demonstrated that decision making and justifications were often not associated with scientific knowledge or education (Heyd-Metzuyanim et al., 2021;Taragin-Zeller et al., 2020;Taragin-Zeller et al., 2022). In the issue of climate change risks, Kahan et al. (2012) found that for people identifying as republicans, high scores in science literacy and numeracy were associated with lower concern with climate change. ...
... The low vaccine-related knowledge we identified fits within the context of low levels of generic scientific education in UO schools where girls typically study science until age 15 and boys rarely study science beyond ages 11-12, since it is considered unnecessary for a religious scholar (58). Science literacy scores among UO girls in PISA tests (Program for International Student Assessment, by the OECD) in Israel in 2018 were low compared to the rest of the population (59). The interplay between scientific knowledge and health decisions among the UO is complex, as demonstrated by adherence to COVID-19 restrictions (60). ...
Background
The Jewish Ultra-Orthodox (UO) population is an under-vaccinated minority group that has been disproportionally affected by outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) such as measles and polio. Underlying reasons remain poorly characterized. We aimed to identify vaccination barriers and enablers in this population.
Methods
We systematically reviewed the literature (PROSPERO: CRD42021273001), searching Pub-med, Web of science, Medline, PsychNet and Scopus from 1995 to 2021 for quantitative and qualitative primary research in English. Studies published outside the date range, not including barriers or enablers, or that were non-primary research were excluded. We assessed included publications for quality and extracted relevant data based on the 5As taxonomy: access, awareness, affordability, acceptance and activation.
Results
We included nine qualitative and seven quantitative studies from the 125 studies identified. Access barriers included scheduling difficulties, inconvenient opening hours, and logistical difficulties related to having multiple young children. Acceptance barriers included safety concerns. Insufficient knowledge about the importance of vaccine and timely vaccination and the perception of being shielded from infections because of seclusion from wider society were key awareness barriers. Competing priorities, such as work and housework, were the main affordability barriers. Mainstream religious leadership’s support for vaccination was an enabler, although recent studies suggest their influence on vaccination behavior is decreasing and influence of anti-vaccination messages is growing.
Discussion
Barriers to vaccination among the UO were mainly logistical, with little religious framing. Safety and efficacy concerns were similar to those reported in the wider community. Decreasing influence of the traditionally pro-vaccine mainstream religious leadership and growing influence of anti-vaccination movements targeting the UO community are new phenomena that require close monitoring. Tailored interventions are required to protect the community and wider society against future VPD outbreaks.
Systematic review registration
PROSPERO: CRD42021273001.
... As a construct in the HBM, self-efficacy is an important determinant of health, 44 because it is a key factor for the initiation and execution of health protective behaviors. 45 During the COVID-19 pandemic, general self-efficacy was related to mental health problems in several populations, as reported by Mo et al. 46,47 Moreover, higher selfefficacy is associated with fewer mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. 48 The application of HBM in the context of COVID-19 might help in reducing stressful behaviors that might provoke anxiety and fear. ...
Objective
Alarmingly, the individuals’ reach and coverage to get vaccinated in developing regions during the pandemic is a massive challenge for concerned authorities. This study aimed to demonstrate how cyberchondria play a significant role in a classical health belief model. Cyberchondria may influence cognitive factors (e.g. self-efficacy), which may contribute to an increase in attitude–behavior gap. Especially in the context of a health-centric scenario, it may discourage individuals to take protective measures.
Method
By using the cross-sectional research design, the authors conducted a quantitative survey in Pakistan and collected 563 responses from 303 male respondents (rural = 91; urban = 212) with (Urban M:35.5, standard deviation (SD):13.4) and rural M:37.5, SD:8.4).
Result
The findings indicate that decision self-efficacy among males is stronger than that in females. It dominates other determinants, which can dampen the individuals’ intentions to get vaccinated. For instance, the effect of conspiracies and perceived seriousness was noted nonsignificant and weak. In females, perceived seriousness was stronger determinant than in males. In addition, the negative effect of decision self-efficacy was noted in the case of females, and conspiracy and cyberchondria had a negative role.
Conclusion
This study highlights valuable implications for future research in infodemic, health communication and health literacy, and practical implications for regulatory bodies and public administration.
... Yet, recent scholarship shows that members of religious groups combine both scientific knowledge and socio-religious frameworks, which serve as "cultural and epistemological tunnels" [33,34]. In a recent study of COVID-19 health decision-making amid Haredi Jews [35], it was found that both health and religious justifications were used during sense-making and COVID-19-related decision-making. Whereas many respondents used general health-related justifications, many also utilized health-related justifications that were directly linked to religious language and culture, for example: 'You shall take care exceedingly of your lives' (Deuteronomy 4:15), suggesting that Haredi men and women have a particular vocabulary to express their justifications for following public guidelines. ...
... Research tool. The questionnaire was constructed around real-life COVID-19 dilemmas to capture modes of health decision-making amidst the pandemic [See: 35,61]. It also included measures of compliance, knowledge about COVID-19, and demographics. ...
... and (3) number and level of scientific concepts used. The concepts were characterized according to the author's protocol [35], which is based on the inclusion of scientific concepts in Israeli science curricula for elementary, middle, and high school. Points were given only when respondents used scientific concepts correctly (e.g. ...
Scholars have identified a range of variables that predict public health compliance during COVID-19, including: psychological, institutional and situational variables as well as demographic characteristics, such as gender, location and age. In this paper, we argue that religious affiliation is also a clear predictor for compliance with public health guidelines. Based on a sample representative survey (N = 800) of Haredi Jews in Israel, we found that Haredi Jews mostly followed COVID-19 health regulations. Among the respondents who were non-compliant, however, we found large divergences which mostly reflected religious affiliation. While members of Lithuanian and Sephardi communities reported following guidelines, Hasidim, a more charismatic sub-group, were 12% and 14% more likely to flout public health guidelines than their Lithuanian and Sephardi counterparts, respectively. Despite this inner diversity, all Haredim were portrayed in Israeli media as one homogeneous group that was blamed for flouting public health guidelines and spreading COVID-19. Based on these findings, we argue for the importance of public health messaging that attends to diverse aspects of religious dogma, practice and observance by creating partnerships and sustainable relationships between different actors and stakeholders. In addition, we found that compliance was also shaped by knowledge about COVID-19 and public concern. Taking these findings together, health communication that acknowledges religious diversity while providing critical knowledge about the pandemic is key to developing and implementing community-focused interventions and public health programs. Practically, these insights help to improve pandemic governance as well as contributing theoretically to the study of public health relations and religion by highlighting how discourses around health vary and how differently positioned actors shape representations of responsiveness and health compliance.
... Hasidism reflects a more emotional approach to Jewish belief, combined with a high level of adulation for the rabbi or "rebbe," in contrast to the Lithuanian school that lays greater stress on study of the Talmud and opposes the excesses of rabbinical authoritarianism. Hasidim are divided into different "courts" (for example, Gur, Satmar, Vishnitz, Belz, and Chabad) headed by a rebbe, whom his sons succeed on his death (Taragin-Zeller et al. 2020). A third Haredi group is the Modern Haredim, who have evolved over the last decade in Israel from within the Haredi community. ...
... They singled out Haredi Jews for noncompliance with lockdown regulations (Gabay and Tarabeih 2021), attributing this to their excessively strict adherence to religious laws requiring physical congregation and their belief that prayer is the best way to fight the pandemic (Adini et al. 2022). In response, researchers connected to the Haredi communities focused their attention in two directions: first, on deconstructing these reports by linking them to histories of anti-Semitic scapegoating in the context of pandemics (Gilman 2021); and second, by developing social science insights into the various complex responses of Haredi communities to the current situation (Kasstan 2021;Taragin-Zeller et al. 2020). ...
... Some blamed intercommunal media outlets for not reporting the dangers effectively enough (Cohen et al. 2021). In contrast, others pointed to how social distancing disrupted the core of Jewish life, which is based on religious obligations performed in the presence of other Jews (Taragin-Zeller et al. 2020). Like other religious groups who struggled with social-distancing guidelines, Haredi Jews found it very hard to close places of worship, which constitute the heart and essence of Haredi Judaism. ...
This paper focuses on the analysis of the discourse in major Israeli ultra-Orthodox newspapers during the first year of COVID-19. Following Durkheim, we argue that the pandemic not only brought about a health emergency, but also a state of anomie. Analyzing both Hamodia and Yated Neeman—both major news outlets of the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel—we show how in a time of anomie when the sanctity of life (pikuach nefesh) conflicted with the sanctity of the community, the latter prevailed. Thus, this study unveils a different set of moral priorities than the one commonly referred to in Israeli bioethical discussions in the pre-COVID-19 era. We also found that the Durkheimian “totem” or “God” metaphors—a symbol of society itself—are highly relevant in analyzing how leaders of the Haredi community in Israel tried to keep their congregation together. This was expressed in the two heavily censored newspapers we analyzed: they placed communal living above the sanctity of individual life in a way that exposed how the cohesion of the group and the community itself were sanctified. At the same time, what was identified as the real virus was in fact secularism and not COVID-19.
... Taragin-Zeller et al. (26) Judaism (Haredi Judaism) 2020 ...
... The pandemic saw various religious leaders from various countries facing unique challenges in caring for their communities. Studies showed that effective communication and collaboration with public-health authorities or local governments remained vital in promoting adherence to guidelines and dismantling misinformation (3,26,43). The pandemic has also caused changes in religious practices. ...
... The literature shows the role of religious activity in amplifying the spread of COVID-19, through non-wearing of masks, non-adherence to social distancing, and at times through the promotion of misinformation. While some studies have suggested religion as a risk factor for contracting COVID-19; other studies identify religion as a positive source of coping and resilience (1,26,32). ...
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has had global impacts on social interactions and religious activities, leading to a complex relationship between religion and public health policies. This article reviews impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religious activities and beliefs in relation to the spread of the virus, as well as the potential of religious leaders and faith communities in mitigating the impact of the pandemic through public health measures and community engagement.
Methods
A literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar, with search terms including “religion,” “COVID-19,” “pandemic,” “coronavirus,” and “spirituality.” We included English articles published between January 2020 and September 2022, focusing on intersection of religion and COVID-19.
Results
We identified two main themes emerging, with the selected 32 studies divided in 15 studies focused on the relationship between religious practices, beliefs, and the spread of COVID-19, while 17 studies explored the role of religious leaders and faith communities in coping with and mitigating the impact of COVID-19. Religious activities were found to correlate with virus spread, particularly in early days of the pandemic. The relationship between religiosity and adherence to government guidelines was mixed, with some studies suggesting increased religiosity contributed to misconceptions about the virus and resistance to restrictions. Religious beliefs were also associated with vaccine hesitancy, particularly conservative religious beliefs. On the other hand, religious leaders and communities played a crucial role in adapting to COVID-19 measures, maintaining a sense of belonging, fostering emotional resilience, and upholding compliance with public health measures. The importance of collaboration between religious leaders, institutions, and public health officials in addressing the pandemic was emphasized.
Conclusions
This review highlights the essential role of religious leaders, faith-based organizations, and faith communities in promoting education, preparedness, and response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Engaging with religious leaders and communities can improve pandemic control and prevention efforts. Collaboration between religious leaders, governments, and healthcare professionals is necessary to combat vaccine hesitancy and ensure successful COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. The insights from this review can guide future research, policy development, and public health interventions to minimize the impact of the pandemic and improve outcomes for individuals and communities affected.
