Determinants of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy spectrum

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy remains an issue in the United States. This study conducted an online survey [N = 3,013] using the Social Science Research Solution [SSRS] Opinion Panel web panelists, representative of U.S. adults age 18 and older who use the internet, with an oversample of rural-dwelling and minority populations between April 8 and April 22, 2021- as vaccine eligibility opened to the country. We examined the relationship between COVID-19 exposure and socio-demographics with vaccine intentions [eager-to-take, wait-and-see, undecided, refuse] among the unvaccinated using multinomial logistic regressions [ref: fully/partially vaccinated]. Results showed vaccine intentions varied by demographic characteristics and COVID-19 experience during the period that eligibility for the vaccine was extended to all adults. At the time of the survey approximately 40% of respondents were unvaccinated; 41% knew someone who had died of COVID-19, and 38% had experienced financial hardship as a result of the pandemic. The vaccinated were more likely to be highly educated, older adults, consistent with the United States initial eligibility criteria. Political affiliation and financial hardship experienced during the pandemic were the two most salient factors associated with being undecided or unwilling to take the vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and short-term and long-term intentions among unvaccinated young adults: a mixed-method approach

“…A number of prior observational research showed that the lack of confidence in COVID-19 vaccines [ 45 ], adverse effects [ 58 ], and misinformation [ 48 , 49 , 59 , 60 ] contributed to vaccine hesitancy, while perceived severity [ 46 ] of and susceptibility [ 61 ] to COVID-19, and a greater sense of collective responsibility [ 31 ] increased willingness to be vaccinated. It is worth noting that most of these findings were documented to predict vaccination intention among general adults in the early stage of vaccine rollout, except for only a few studies that examined unvaccinated individuals [ 33 , 58 ]. Focusing on unvaccinated young adults in their 20s 16 months after the initial vaccine rollout, this study advances the literature on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.…”

The Long-COVID Experience Changed People’s Vaccine Hesitancy but Not Their Vaccination Fear

“…The literature on COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy research does not broadly address long-COVID-19 [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. However, studies on people who have experienced COVID-19 or who have been exposed to the experiences of people close to them revealed that there is a significant relationship between vaccine hesitancy and these experiences [ 67 , 68 , 69 ]. Moreover, vaccine hesitancy and fear may be different before and after vaccination based on the side effects.…”

“…One of the prime reasons for this increase can be linked to vaccine hesitancy due to COVID in many countries [ 64 , 65 , 66 ]. Notably, people’s vaccine hesitancy was found to be associated with a plethora of personal and vicarious COVID-related experiences [ 67 , 68 , 69 ]. The authors of this study explored the possibility that long-lasting symptoms (i.e., long-COVID) may affect vaccine hesitancy levels, as was observed in the case of other COVID-related experiences.…”

Why do people consent to receiving SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations? A representative survey in Germany

“…Research regarding ‘vaccine hesitancy’ shows that globally roughly 60%–70% of the population assent to being vaccinated or have already received it,1 2 while 20%–25% are against it, and the rest is undecided,3–7 although estimates depend on the population being studied and the particular phase of the pandemic. The international cross-sectional iCARE study revealed that during the first year of the pandemic, vaccination hesitancy (defined as not being extremely likely to be vaccinated) increased significantly from 25.6% to 29.9% overall, with some countries such as France or Turkey even exceeding 50% 2.…”