Drivers of the Intention to Receive a COVID-19 Booster Vaccine: Insights from the UK and Australia

Abstract

As the global pandemic perpetuates, keeping the population vaccinated will be imperative to maintain societal protection from the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus. However, while empirical evidence regarding predictors of the intention to receive a first COVID-19 vaccine has amassed, our understanding regarding the psychological and behavioral drivers of continued COVID-19 vaccination remains limited. In this pre-registered study (UK: AsPredicted#78370|Australia: AsPredicted#81667), factors predicting the intention to receive a COVID-19 booster vaccine were investigated in two adult samples from the UK (N = 1222) and Australia (N = 1197) that were nationally representative on factors of age, gender, and geographic location. High levels of booster intent were found (73% and 67%, respectively). Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling (ESEM) revealed three key predictors of the intention to receive a booster vaccine that emerged across both UK and Australian samples: concern regarding the COVID-19 virus, positive perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccines, and the perceived severity of side effects experienced to the last COVID-19 vaccine dose. Several additional factors (age, months since the last COVID-19 vaccine, familiarity with side effects, and regularly receiving the influenza vaccine) were present in the Australian dataset. These findings provide important evidence that targeting psychological perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine and virus may serve to maintain participation in the COVID-19 vaccination programme, paving the way for future behavioural research in this area.

The impact of side effect framing on COVID-19 booster vaccine intentions in an Australian sample

“…These intentions subsequently predict actual vaccine uptake in instances where practical barriers, such as a lack of access, are not present [37] . In a separate study conducted on the current sample, self-report general intention to be vaccinated tracked closely with population estimates regarding vaccination rates several months later [4] , while intention has been found to predict vaccination more broadly [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] . However, it is presently unknown whether this mapping applies to changes in intention occurring with attribute framing.…”

“…All items required a response before advancement. Several additional items concerning COVID-19 were collected prior to randomisation for a separate pre-registered study [4] (see: aspredicted.org/XSS_ZD1).…”

“…Reasons for vaccine hesitancy are multifaceted [1] , [2] . However, side effect apprehension is a primary factor [1] , with previous experience of COVID-19 vaccine side effects shown to reduce later booster vaccine intention [3] , [4] . To achieve effective societal protection from COVID-19, behavioural intervention is likely to be required to reduce apprehension and increase vaccine acceptance [5] .…”

“…Positive framing of this type may be particularly well suited to increasing acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines, therefore helping to maintain continued participation in the vaccination programme. This is because positive framing is directly relevant to the perception of side effects [3] , [4] , does not violate patient informed consent (given that statistical information is equivalent to the standard negative form) [15] , and is easy to implement, requiring only small adjustments to existing sources of information.…”

COVID-19-Related Burnout and Intention of Fully Vaccinated Individuals to Get a Booster Dose: The Mediating Role of Resilience

“…According to our study, 34.1% of the participants were likely to take a booster dose. This finding is alarming, since similar studies in the United Kingdom, USA, Australia, and Malaysia reported higher levels of booster intent at 73%, 76%, 67%, and 81.2%, respectively [ 50 , 51 , 52 ]. This disparity in vaccination intentions could be attributable to the timing of the research, as we collected our data in October 2022, whereas the other investigations were done between September 2021 and February 2022.…”