COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance is associated with Vaccine Hesitancy, Perceived Risk and Previous Vaccination Experiences

Abstract

Objective: This study examines the factors associated with the willingness to get the coronavirus vaccine among individuals aged 18 and above. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Turkey. The participants aged 18 and older were recruited between December 2020 and January 2021 through conventional social media sites. Snowball sampling was used. An anonymous questionnaire consisted of demographics, vaccination experiences, and perceived risk of coronavirus disease. Results: 1202 women and 651 men were included in the data analysis. Findings showed that demographics, vaccinations experience, and perceived risk of getting COVID-19 were explained 37% of the variance in people’s willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccination according to hierarchical logistic regression. Furthermore, increasing age, being male, acquiring positive information about COVID-19 vaccines, having a lower level of vaccine hesitancy, the high level of worry about the COVID-19 and low level of perceptions of the possibility of becoming infected by the COVID-19 were the main predictors of COVID-19 vaccine willingness. Conclusions: Factors affecting adults’ willingness to be inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines were related to demographics, vaccination experiences, and perceived risk of getting COVID-19. We recommend that public health authorities and practitioners should consider these multiple factors regarding vaccine confidence to achieve herd immunity.

“Would You Get Vaccinated against COVID-19?” The Picture Emerging from a Study on the Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in the General Population of the Veneto Region

“…Our analysis identified two age groups (30–49 and 50–69 years old) as more vaccine reluctant than younger people. The stronger propensity of younger people (<30 years old) in our sample to get vaccinated is in contrast with many other published reports of vaccination acceptance increasing with age [ 26 ]. Vaccine hesitancy may stem from young and middle-aged adults considering themselves at lower risk, whereas elderly people are presumably keener to get vaccinated because they feel more exposed to the risk of severe disease and death due to COVID-19 [ 27 ].…”

“…Studies that considered the link between age and intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 generated different findings [ 12 ]. Age is thought to be one of the demographic factors most likely to influence people’s propensity to get vaccinated [ 26 ]. Our analysis identified two age groups (30–49 and 50–69 years old) as more vaccine reluctant than younger people.…”

“…In both cases, this would suggest that these people underestimate COVID-19. Several published studies investigated the association between vaccine hesitancy and the perception of the risk posed by the disease [ 26 ]. Perceiving the risk as low is one of the most common reasons for refusing vaccination, alongside doubts regarding the vaccine’s efficacy and concern about possible adverse effects [ 36 , 37 ].…”

COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy among Healthcare Workers—A Review

“…However, a study of HCWs in New York did not find differences in hesitancy among different age groups of women, suggesting that higher rates of female vaccine hesitancy may not be simply explained by concerns over fertility, pregnancy, or breastfeeding [90]. Previous negative experiences with vaccines, whether personally or that of a friend or family member [158]. Finally, it is also possible that some HCWs may also hold beliefs that vaccines are generally unsafe, irrespective of events surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine, perhaps contributed to by the fact that some vaccines in the past have been withheld during pregnancy [159] and that initial safety testing for COVID-19 did not include a pregnant cohort and thus initial messaging from the CDC indicated ambivalence towards whether those pregnant should vaccinate [160].…”

Factors Associated with the Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines in Citizens of Northern Peru: Cross-Sectional Study

“…Previous studies in different parts of the world also show a good acceptance rate, ranging from 50% to 85%. [21][22][23][24][25][26] In Peru, the percentage of acceptance has increased in comparison with the study carried out during the first wave, which showed a 49.2% acceptance rate. 27 However, its acceptance is expected to be greater than 90%, as those currently suffering severely from COVID-19 disease are mainly those who have not been vaccinated or who have incomplete doses.…”