Societal Trust Related to COVID-19 Vaccination: Evidence from Western Balkans

Abstract

The lower rates of COVID-19 vaccination in Western Balkans countries could be partially explained by societal distrust of its citizens, jeopardizing the sustainability of COVID-19 vaccination programs. The aim of the study was to determine the level and predictors of societal trust in five countries of the region. Using an online questionnaire, data were obtained from 1157 respondents from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The instrument included a socio-demographic questionnaire, a measure of vaccination behavior, and a scale measuring societal trust. Being a significant determinant of the COVID-19 vaccination behavior in all countries, societal trust considerably varied from country to country (F (24, 4002) = 7.574, p < 0.001). It was highest in North Macedonia (Mean = 3.74, SD = 0.99), and lowest in Albania (Mean = 3.21, SD = 1.03). Younger, female, less religious, and higher educated tended to have more pronounced societal trust in Serbia. In North Macedonia, younger age and lower health literacy predicted societal trust, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina, educational level was the single predictor. In Montenegro and Albania, higher societal trust was significantly predicted by lower health literacy only. The results provide evidence that the determinants of societal trust in Western Balkans vary across countries, indicating the need for different approaches in communication campaigns.

Cognitive and Cultural Factors That Affect General Vaccination and COVID-19 Vaccination Attitudes

“…Several factors emerging as relevant to vaccination attitudes in our study converge with other investigations of predictors of COVID-19 vaccination attitudes. For example, our finding of the significance of public health trust is consistent with the findings of Chen, Lee, and Lin [ 38 ], Cvjetkovic et al [ 39 ], and De Freitas, Basdeo, and Wang [ 40 ] about the positive impact of trust in the government, healthcare, and civil society on openness to COVID-19 vaccination. The importance of party affiliation is consistent with Khubchandani et al [ 67 ] and Agarwal et al [ 48 ] and the importance of information literacy with Engelbrecht, Kigozi, and Heunis [ 36 ] and Takahashi et al [ 8 ].…”

“…In general, people differ in how much they trust others; interpersonal trust is higher in well-functioning communities and democratic societies [ 37 ]. Across the world, trust in the government, the healthcare system, and civil society correlates with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and uptake [ 38 , 39 , 40 ]. In the US, studies have revealed that distrust of pharmaceutical companies, with them being perceived as being motivated by profit [ 41 ] and, overall, trust in the U.S. federal government have been waning since the Vietnam War era [ 42 ].…”

The last 3 decade of vaccination coverage in the Balkan and Eastern Europe countries with reference to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…It can potentially increase the mortality and morbidity from polio, measles, and other vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly in countries with low coverage ( Macdonald et al, 2020 ; Seyed et al, 2022 ). Some European countries and most of Balkan countries have a huge problem with vaccination coverage because of the misinformation about the safety of the vaccine and their efficacy, and that’s a problem that health organisation must know because the fear is the root of most problems ( Cvjetkovic et al, 2022 ; Fan et al, 2022 ). Immunization programs should be strengthened within primary healthcare ( Effraimidou et al, 2023 ) Countries should also implement robust surveillance systems to identify and close immunity gaps ( Blanc et al, 2022 ).…”

Manajemen Krisis : Kementerian Kesehatan Dalam Kampanye Kebijakan Vaksinasi Covid-19 Di Indonesia: Strategi Dan Pendukung

“…Pandemi Covid-19 yang terjadi di seluruh dunia pada tahun 2020, tak terkecuali Indonesia. Indonesia, merupakan sebuah negara kepulauan yang terletak di Asia tenggara dengan luas 1,905 juta (Cvjetkovic et al, 2022). Dampak yang diakibatkan dari pandemi covid-19 dalam aspek Kesehatan, sosial ataupun ekonomi membuat Indonesia harus membuat kebijakan yang cepat dan tegas (Balut et al, 2022).…”