Public Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines: Cross-National Evidence on Levels and Individual-Level Predictors Using Observational Data

Mf, Lindholt; Jørgensen, Frederik; A, Bor; Mb, Petersen

doi:10.31234/osf.io/8kn5f

Cited by 57 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Scholars have demonstrated that those believing in COVID-19 conspiracies were less likely to engage in social distancing, increased handwashing, mask wearing, and other public health recommended behaviors 4,5,6,7 . Additionally, people holding these beliefs are more likely to reject the COVID-19 vaccine, which is consistent with general work on conspiracy theories and vaccine intention 1,5,8,9,10 . Finally, they might have consequences beyond the realm of public health, as these beliefs might also fuel racially-charged attacks against Asian Americans 2,11 .…”

Section: Mainsupporting

confidence: 83%

American Exceptionalism: Determinants of spreading COVID-19 misinformation online in five countries

Pickup¹,

Stecuła²,

Linden³

2021

Preprint

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Social media have long been considered a venue in which conspiracy theories originate and spread. It has been no different during COVID-19. However, understanding who spreads conspiracy theories by sharing them on social media, and why, has been underexplored, especially in a cross-national context. The global nature of the novel coronavirus pandemic presents a unique opportunity to understand the exposure and sharing of the same COVID-19 related conspiracies across multiple countries. We rely on large, nationally representative surveys conducted in July of 2020 in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, to begin to understand who shares conspiracies on social media and what motivates them. We find that Americans are no more likely to encounter prominent COVID-19 conspiracies on social media but are considerably more likely to subsequently share them. In all countries, trust in information from social media predicts conspiracy theory sharing, while in the US politics plays a unique role Our results make clear that American behavior on social media has the potential to poison online public discourse globally.

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Section: Mainsupporting

confidence: 83%

American Exceptionalism: Determinants of spreading COVID-19 misinformation online in five countries

Pickup¹,

Stecuła²,

Linden³

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…In terms of sample size, this survey is the biggest national study on attitude towards vaccination carried out in any European state to date [ 4 ]. Among all respondents, 59% answered that they will definitely or probably get vaccinated, which is about the same as in the USA in November 2020 (60%) [ 11 ], lower than China (91%), Australia (85%) and most Western and Northern European countries [ 4 , 12 , 13 , 14 ] but higher than most Eastern and South-Eastern European countries [ 4 ]. However, it should be noted that most of the surveys had been conducted in spring 2020 and the attitudes have probably changed since then.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Affecting Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination: An Online Survey in Slovenia

et al. 2021

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While the problem of vaccine hesitancy is not new, it has become more pronounced with the new COVID-19 vaccines and represents an obstacle to resolving the crisis. Even people who would usually trust vaccines and experts now prefer to wait for more information. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Slovenia in December 2020 to find out the attitudes of the population regarding COVID-19 vaccination and the factors that affect these attitudes. Based on 12,042 fully completed questionnaires, we find that higher intention to get vaccinated is associated with men, older respondents, physicians and medical students, respondents who got the influenza vaccination, those who knew someone who had gotten hospitalised or died from COVID-19 and those who have more trust in experts, institutions and vaccines. Nurses and technicians were less likely to get vaccinated. In answers to an open question, sceptics were split into those doubting the quality due to the rapid development of the vaccine and those that reported personal experiences with side effects of prior vaccinations. Although the Slovenian population is diverse in its attitudes towards vaccination, the results are comparable to those found in other countries. However, there are potential limitations to the generalizability of the findings that should be addressed in future studies.

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“…First, early testing availability was limited, introducing selection bias and higher initial hospitalization rates. We now understand there exists widespread infection amongst asymptomatic and minimally symptomatic individuals [28] . Unfortunately, by the time these data were recognized and well understood, the trial was already well underway.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A multi-center phase II randomized clinical trial of losartan on symptomatic outpatients with COVID-19

et al. 2021

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Background The SARS-CoV-2 virus enters cells via Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), disrupting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis, potentially contributing to lung injury. Treatment with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), such as losartan, may mitigate these effects, though induction of ACE2 could increase viral entry, replication, and worsen disease. Methods This study represents a placebo-controlled blinded randomized clinical trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of losartan on outpatients with COVID-19 across three hospital systems with numerous community sites in Minnesota, U.S. Participants included symptomatic outpatients with COVID-19 not already taking ACE-inhibitors or ARBs, enrolled within 7 days of symptom onset. Patients were randomized to 1:1 losartan (25 mg orally twice daily unless estimated glomerular filtration rate, eGFR, was reduced, when dosing was reduced to once daily) versus placebo for 10 days, and all patients and outcome assesors were blinded. The primary outcome was all-cause hospitalization within 15 days. Secondary outcomes included functional status, dyspnea, temperature, and viral load. (clinicatrials.gov, NCT04311177, closed to new participants) Findings From April to November 2020, 117 participants were randomized 58 to losartan and 59 to placebo, and all were analyzed under intent to treat principles. The primary outcome did not differ significantly between the two arms based on Barnard's test [losartan arm: 3 events (5.2% 95% CI 1.1, 14.4%) versus placebo arm: 1 event (1.7%; 95% CI 0.0, 9.1%)]; proportion difference -3.5% (95% CI -13.2, 4.8%); p = 0.32]. Viral loads were not statistically different between treatment groups at any time point. Adverse events per 10 patient days did not differ signifcantly [0.33 (95% CI 0.22–0.49) for losartan vs. 0.37 (95% CI 0.25–0.55) for placebo]. Due to a lower than expected hospitalization rate and low likelihood of a clinically important treatment effect, the trial was terminated early. Interpretation In this multicenter blinded RCT for outpatients with mild symptomatic COVID-19 disease, losartan did not reduce hospitalizations, though assessment was limited by low event rate. Importantly, viral load was not statistically affected by treatment. This study does not support initiation of losartan for low-risk outpatients.

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Public Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccines: Cross-National Evidence on Levels and Individual-Level Predictors Using Observational Data

Cited by 57 publications

References 13 publications

American Exceptionalism: Determinants of spreading COVID-19 misinformation online in five countries

American Exceptionalism: Determinants of spreading COVID-19 misinformation online in five countries

Factors Affecting Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination: An Online Survey in Slovenia

A multi-center phase II randomized clinical trial of losartan on symptomatic outpatients with COVID-19

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