000			01704nam a22001577a 4500
999			_c517927 _d517927
008			210804b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
100			_aEstep, Kevin, and Greenberg, Pierce _928273
245			_aOpting out: Individualism and vaccine refusal in pockets of socioeconomic homogeneity
260			_aAmerican Sociological Review
300			_a85(6), Dec, 2020: p.957-991
520			_aCases of measles and other highly contagious diseases are rising in the United States. Public health experts blame the rise partly on the spatial concentration of parents declining to vaccinate their children, but researchers have given little attention to theorizing why this clustering occurs in particular communities. We argue that residential and school selection processes create “pockets of homogeneity” attracting parents inclined to opt out of vaccines. Structural features of these enclaves reduce the likelihood of harsh criticism for vaccine refusal and foster a false sense of protection from disease, making the choice to opt out seem both safe and socially acceptable. Examination of quantitative data on personal belief exemptions (PBEs) from school-based vaccination requirements in California schools and districts, as well as findings from parent interviews, provide empirical support for the theory. We discuss substantive implications for lawmakers and public health officials, as well as broader sociological contributions concerning neighborhood effects and residential sorting. – Reproduced
650			_aPublic health, Vaccination, Income segregation, Individualism, Neighborhood effects _926326
773			_aAmerican Sociological Review
906			_aPUBLIC HEALTH
942			_cAR