Public acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines: cross-national evidence on levels and individual-level predictors using observational data

Abstract

ObjectivesThe management of the COVID-19 pandemic hinges on the approval of safe and effective vaccines but, equally importantly, on high vaccine acceptance among people. To facilitate vaccine acceptance via effective health communication, it is key to understand levels of vaccine scepticism and the demographic, psychological and political predictors. To this end, we examine the levels and predictors of acceptance of an approved COVID-19 vaccine.Design, setting and participantsWe examine the levels and predictors of acceptance of an approved COVID-19 vaccine in large online surveys from eight Western democracies that differ in terms of the severity of the pandemic and their response: Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Italy, UK and USA (total N=18 231). Survey respondents were quota sampled to match the population margins on age, gender and geographical location for each country. The study was conducted from September 2020 to February 2021, allowing us to assess changes in acceptance and predictors as COVID-19 vaccine programmes were rolled out.Outcome measureThe outcome of the study is self-reported acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine approved and recommended by health authorities.ResultsThe data reveal large variations in vaccine acceptance that ranges from 83% in Denmark to 47% in France and Hungary. Lack of vaccine acceptance is associated with lack of trust in authorities and scientists, conspiratorial thinking and a lack of concern about COVID-19.ConclusionMost national levels of vaccine acceptance fall below estimates of the required threshold for herd immunity. The results emphasise the long-term importance of building trust in preparations for health emergencies such as the current pandemic. For health communication, the results emphasise the importance of focusing on personal consequences of infections and debunking of myths to guide communication strategies.

Willingness to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine and Its Potential Predictors in Costa Rica: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…The finding that higher income predicts a greater vaccine acceptance in Costa Rica, aligns with another study conducted in LMICs [21]. Also, our results are consistent with those reported by Lindholt et al (2019), in which being male was associated with higher vaccine acceptance [22]. Based on our general findings, we suggest that Costa Rican health authorities must create communication and education strategies on vaccines that consider the population's sex, income, occupation, health literacy levels, and prevailing attitudes toward health authorities and pharmaceutical companies.…”

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the United States: A Systematic Review

“…According to a global study, 72% of people would take the COVID-19 vaccine if deemed safe and effective, but willingness varies between countries ( 10 ). When studied under the framework of the 5C model of psychological antecedents that drive vaccine acceptance: confidence, constraints, complacency, calculation, and collective responsibility, the US population indicated 54% vaccine acceptance, a value that divulges vaccine skepticism ( 11 ). The US population has demonstrated inconsistent results over the period as between April 1–14 and November 25–December 8, 2020, the percentage who stated they were somewhat or very likely to get vaccinated declined from 74 to 56% ( 12 ).…”

Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign Success: Lessons Learnt from the Pandemic So Far. A Case Study from Poland

“…They were conducted in Poland [1,2], the United States [3][4][5][6][7], Ireland and the United Kingdom [8,9], Australia [10], Canada [11], France [12], Italy [13][14][15], Portugal [16], Finland [17], Greece [18], China [19,20] and Japan [21]. As a result of multicentre cooperation, surveys in seven European countries [22], seven European countries and the United States [23], three Asian and five African countries [24], 23 Arab countries and territories [25] and 19 countries with a high COVID-19 burden [26] have been conducted. Some scholars searched for regularities which may have influenced people's behaviour for particular countries studied, while others looked for more general ones.…”

“…Some scholars searched for regularities which may have influenced people's behaviour for particular countries studied, while others looked for more general ones. The results obtained in multicentre studies indicate serious differences between countries [8,23,[26][27][28]. A wide range of results have been presented.…”