Association between social media use and the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination among the general population in Saudi Arabia – a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background The Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a worldwide global public health threat. Although acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination will be a critical step in combating the pandemic, achieving high uptake will be difficult, and potentially made more difficult by social media misinformation. This study aimed to examine the association between social media use and acceptance of receiving COVID-19 vaccine among the general population in Saudi Arabia. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 17 to June 19, 2021 among 504 participants of the general population in Saudi Arabia. The data were collected using a three-part online questionnaire (sociodemographic characteristics, medical and vaccination history, pattern of social media use). Results Among 504 participants who completed the survey, 477 participants were acceptant of the vaccine and 27 were non-accepting. A total of 335 individuals had already received the vaccine, 142 were willing to receive the vaccine and 27 were unwilling. One hundred and thirty participants denied using social media for COVID-19 news. Four factors were found to be significant in influencing vaccine acceptance in univariate analysis: having a chronic condition (odds ratio (OR) = 0.367, P = 0.019), believing that infertility is a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine (OR = 0.298, P = 0.009), being concerned about a serious side effect from the vaccine (somewhat concerned: OR = 0.294, P = 0.022, very concerned: OR = 0.017, P < 0.0001), and basing the decision to be vaccinated on social media information (OR = 0.260, P = 0.006). Two of these factors fell away on multivariate analysis: basing the decision on social media information (OR = 0.356, P = 0.071), and a belief that vaccination causes infertility (OR = 0.0333, P = 0.054), suggesting that the associations are dependent on other factors. Conclusion ‏In conclusion, there was no significant independent relationship between social media usage and people's willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Further studies to explore the association between social media use and vaccine decisions are required to generalize this observation to the Saudi population.

Assessing the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccine in different scenarios in Saudi Arabia

“…The results align with previous studies linking gender to a greater probability of experiencing post-vaccination side effects and more severe symptoms but differed from prior research indicating that gender has no impact on the side effects. 18 , 20 - 23 Although there is yet no consensus on the influence of gender on the onset and specific symptoms experienced after COVID-19 vaccination, the results of this study support the need to explain to the female population on the higher possibility of experiencing symptoms that may require or not require hospitalization. All age groups report common symptoms, but the participants who reported no symptoms and who reported mild, moderate, and severe symptoms were comparatively younger ( Table 3 ).…”

“…The results were partly similar to a previous study indicating that young people have a higher proportion of side effects and partly aligned with studies showing that age has no statistically significant impact on vaccine symptoms. 18 , 20 - 23 More participants belonged to the younger age groups so more of those who reported no side effects were younger people and more of those who reported side effects of various severity were also younger people. Age does not seem to be a conclusive determinant of the onset of side effects or the occurrence of specific side effects.…”

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and acceptance among the public in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: A review of the literature

“…Overall, the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy rate in Saudi Arabia varied significantly between studies, ranging from 5% to 82%. The lowest hesitancy rates (<10%) were reported by 2 studies, 26 , 45 whereas higher rates (>30%) were reported in 22 studies. 14–17 – 19–24 – 27–33 – 35–37 – 39–44 Several factors were found to be associated with vaccine hesitancy, including concerns about vaccine safety (n = 18), 16–20 – 22–26 – 29–31 – 36–38 – 40–42 – 45 concerns about vaccine effectiveness (n = 16), 16 – 17-19 – 22-24 – 30-33 – 36-38 – 40-42 – 45 belief that the vaccine has not been tested sufficiently (n = 7), 20–24 – 26–30 , 31–45 belief in conspiracy theories (n = 4), 22 , 29 , 39 , 40 belief in natural immunity following COVID-19 infection (n = 2), 30 , 39 a history of chronic illnesses (n = 2), 31 , 45 a fear of injections (n = 2), 30 , 44 and mistrust in pharmaceutical companies (n = 1).…”

Perceptions, precautions, and vaccine acceptance related to monkeypox in the public in China: A cross-sectional survey

“…For this study, vaccine acceptance was re-categorized as willingness (4−5) and unwillingness (1−3). Participants who were unwilling to be vaccinated were additionally asked to indicate the main reasons for their unwillingness [27] .…”