A Shot in the Arm for Vaccination Intention: The Media and the Health Belief Model in Three Chinese Societies

Abstract

This large-sample study of three Chinese societies—Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong—demonstrates the importance of media exposure for people’s vaccination intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. By employing two constructs (i.e., perceived susceptibility and severity) in the health belief model (HBM), the study identifies significant indirect effects of media exposure on individuals’ vaccination intention in all three Chinese societies. That said, media trust negatively moderated the path from perceived severity to vaccination intention in Mainland China and Taiwan. In these two societies, the higher an individual’s trust in media, the less influence of perceived severity on his/her vaccination intention. It suggests that the level of trust in media is a contextual factor in explaining individuals’ decision-making on health issues. Generally, the combination of the HBM and media trust has been proven to be useful for understanding individuals’ vaccination intentions. These findings provide practical considerations for governmental agencies, public institutions, and health campaign designers to promote vaccination in the pandemic.

Investigating Media Coverage and Public Perceptions of the HPV Vaccine in China – A Content Analysis of Weibo Posts

“…HBM in China has also proved that the model can serve as the intermediating bridge between media disclosure and individual’s intentions to pursue healthy behavior in external cues like social media (Chen & Liu, 2021 ; Liu et al, 2022 ). More and more, Chinese people look for protected healthcare information brought about by professional bodies and social actors in digital media platforms (Zhang et al, 2020 ).…”

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and its associated factors in the Western Pacific Region

“…The improvement can potentially be credited to increasing media exposure to COVID-19 and vaccines, rising concerns about prospective impacts of new, more transmissible variants, and implementation of vaccination-differentiated safe management measures allowing only the vaccinated to resume work, enter shopping malls, or travel abroad. 7 , 29 , 30 …”

Increasing Vaccination: Psychological Characteristics of COVID-19 Vaccine Advocates, Converts, and Resisters in Hong Kong

“…The survey questionnaire consisted of items measuring individuals’ vaccine uptakes (9 items), psychological factors (30 items), and sociodemographic factors (7 items). We developed a Chinese version of the questionnaire with items adopted from previous studies [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 14 , 20 , 21 , 22 ] (see Supplementary Figure S2 ). The surveys were delivered in traditional Chinese, which is one of the official languages used in Hong Kong.…”

“…Responses were measured on a 7-point scale, with 1 = none, 4 = 2–3 h, and 7 = 5 h or more (Wave 1: M = 2.74, SD = 0.79, α = 0.62; Wave 2: M = 2.68, SD = 0.81, α = 0.66). Media attention as a form of passive information consumption was assessed by asking participants to rate how often they pay attention to information about COVID-19 when consuming (1) television, (2) newspapers, (3) websites (e.g., Yahoo), (4) social media (e.g., WhatsApp, Facebook), and (5) short video platforms (e.g., Tik Tok) [ 21 , 31 ]. A 7-point scale was adopted, with 1 = never and 7 = always (Wave 1: M = 3.67, SD = 1.04, α = 0.74; Wave 2: M = 3.49, SD = 0.98, α = 0.66).…”