Examining Australian public perceptions and behaviors towards a future COVID-19 vaccine

Abstract

Background As immunisation program launches have previously demonstrated, it is essential that careful planning occurs now to ensure the readiness of the public for a COVID-19 vaccine. As part of that process, this study aimed to understand the public perceptions regarding a future COVID-19 vaccine in Australia. Methods A national cross-sectional online survey of 1420 Australian adults (18 years and older) was undertaken between 18 and 24 March 2020. The statistical analysis of the data included univariate and multivariable logistic regression model analysis. Results Respondents generally held positive views towards vaccination. Eighty percent (n = 1143) agreed with the statement that getting myself vaccinated for COVID-19 would be a good way to protect myself against infection. Females (n = 614, 83%) were more likely to agree with the statement than males (n = 529, 78%) (aOR = 1.4 (95% CI: 1.1–1.8); P = 0.03), while 91% of those aged 70 years and above agreed compared to 76% of 18–29-year-olds (aOR = 2.3 (95% CI:1.2–4.1); P = 0.008). Agreement was also higher for those with a self-reported chronic disease (aOR = 1.4 (95% CI: 1.1–2.0); P = 0.04) and among those who held private health insurance (aOR = 1.7 (95% CI: 1.3–2.3); P < 0.001). Beyond individual perceptions, 78% stated that their decision to vaccinate would be supported by family and friends. Conclusion This study presents an early indication of public perceptions towards a future COVID-19 vaccine and represents a starting point for mapping vaccine perceptions. To support an effective launch of these new vaccines, governments need to use this time to understand the communities concerns and to identify the strategies that will support engagement.

Factors Influencing Public Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination: A Scoping Review Informed by the Socio-Ecological Model

“…In this review, 28 studies depicted the sociodemographic factors associated with public attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccination. Coherent to findings from the literature [78], the most common factors found to influence vaccine acceptance at the microlevel were age, educational level, gender, race, and income status [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53]63,65,68,[71][72][73]. More willingness to receive a vaccine was reported in the older age group [23,25,27,31,34,35,38,53,65], while resistance, hesitancy, and lack of intention to be vaccinated emerged in the younger age group [29,35,51].…”

“…Twenty-eight studies depicted the sociodemographic factors associated with public attitudes (Table 3). Age [23,25,27,29,31,[34][35][36]38,[51][52][53]63,65,73], educational level [23][24][25]27,30,35,36,42,47,[49][50][51]63,65,68,71,73], gender [24,25,[28][29][30][31][32]34,38,48,49,51,52,65,68], race [26,29,35,…”

“…Only one study in the USA reported higher willingness among men [32]. Moreover, other factors were included, such as health condition, people with chronic diseases [29,31,49,65,73], occupation status [27,30,46,50,53,73], marital status [27,28,52], place of residence [29,51,68,73], women being pregnant [29] or having children [30], and those who have health insurance or not [30,31,36,51]. The reviewed articles showed that individuals who had chronic diseases, were employed, married with children, and had health insurance were more likely to report acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines.…”

“…The reviewed articles showed that misleading information shared on social media platforms would make individuals hesitant to take the vaccine. In addition, 78% of the participants in one study stated that their decision to get a vaccine was supported by their family and friends [31], especially when someone of their family members or friends was vaccinated [44].…”

COVID-19 vaccination acceptability in the UK at the start of the vaccination programme: a nationally representative cross-sectional survey (CoVAccS – wave 2)

“…These items map onto theoretical constructs that have previously been shown to influence uptake of health behaviours: subjective norms and perceived susceptibility [5]. Previous studies exploring vaccine intentions have also found high levels of positive social norms favouring the vaccine [29] and that intention is associated with increased levels of concern related to the risks of the disease [28,30]. We also found that lower intention was associated with reduced belief in the safety of the vaccine and this has been found consistently across studies exploring COVID-19 vaccine intentions [7,8] and vaccine hesitancy [8].…”