COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Its Associated Factors in Japan

Abstract

The vaccine confidence index in Japan is one of the lowest worldwide. This study aimed to examine the proportion of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the Japanese population using a larger sample and more robust statistical methods than previously, and to identify factors associated with vaccine hesitancy. We conducted a nationwide, cross-sectional Internet survey on 8–26 February 2021, and calculated the proportion and odds ratios for vaccine hesitancy. Among 23,142 responses analyzed, the proportion of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was 11.3% (10.9–11.7%). The proportion was higher among younger respondents and female respondents, and especially among younger female respondents (15.6%) compared with the lowest proportion among older male respondents (4.8%). The most cited reason for not getting vaccinated was concerns about adverse reactions in more than 70% of the respondents. The proportion of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Japan was comparable to that in previous studies overseas, and the proportion among younger respondents was more than double that among older respondents. Factors associated with the hesitancy were female sex, living alone, low socioeconomic status, and presence of severe psychological distress, especially among older respondents. Thus, adequate measures should be taken to ensure that vaccines are delivered to people with these factors.

Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Portuguese-Speaking Countries: A Structural Equations Modeling Approach

“…Women, older adults, people with a high educational level, and people who had lost a family member or a friend due to COVID-19 were more likely to hesitate to be vaccinated. These characteristics differ from studies carried out in developed countries [39,40] and reinforce that, although VH is a global problem, specificities of different population groups must be considered and understood.…”

Factors associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Thai Seniors

“…The questionnaire used in this study was self-developed following a review of the literature [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] and agreement among experts. The questionnaire was structured into four sections covering sociodemographic data, medical history, COVID-19 pandemic-related information, and COVID-19 vaccine-related information.…”

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among the Younger Generation in Japan

“…Globally, there have been a large number of studies within a limited time on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among younger adults [ 4 , 5 , 9 , 10 , 19 , 20 ], including some with evidence of vaccine hesitancy among younger people in Japan [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Although these studies demonstrated higher vaccine hesitancy among younger adults in Japan, the magnitudes of hesitancy were somewhat different, possibly due to differences in the timing of data collection and definitions of vaccine hesitancy.…”

“…Yoda and Katsuyama [ 22 ] and Machida et al [ 23 ] found the hesitancy rate in Japan during the trial phase of the vaccination program to be 34.3% and 37.9%, respectively. Kadoya et al [ 21 ] found the rate to be 53%; Okubo et al [ 24 ] found the rate to be 11% after the rollout of the vaccination program. Despite differences in vaccine hesitancy at different stages of the vaccination program, previous studies have provided consistent evidence related to gender and age associations with vaccine hesitancy.…”

“…Kadoya et al [ 21 ] divided their study’s full sample into older and younger subsamples as well as subsamples of men and women and found that socio-economic factors associated with vaccine willingness differed for gender- and age-based subsamples. Okubo et al [ 24 ] found that vaccine hesitancy was much higher among younger people, particularly among younger women. Similarly, Yoda and Katsuyama [ 22 ] and Machida et al [ 23 ] found higher vaccine hesitancy among younger respondents and women.…”