Associate Professor Graham Dixon and Austin Hubner (PhD 22) published “Does the Label Matter? Examining the Effects of ‘Vaccine Passport’ Versus ‘Vaccine Verification’ on Subsequent Audience Frames and Policy Attitudes” in the International Journal of Public Opinion Research.

The researchers conducted an online survey experiment that examined how labeling a COVID-19 vaccine verification system as a "passport" or "verification" could result in different outcomes. Both closed-ended and open-ended questions were used. While "verification" received slightly higher support overall, Republicans remained less supportive regardless of label. Open-ended responses revealed deeper partisan divides, highlighting the value of supplementing close-ended measures in experimental research.