Vaccine Hesitancy and Trust in the Scientific Community in Italy: Comparative Analysis from Two Recent Surveys

Abstract

Vaccination rates in Italy fell until 2015 because of unfounded safety concerns. Public education and a 2017 law on mandatory vaccination have boosted rates since then. The aim of our study is to explore how trust in the scientific community and attitudes towards vaccines have changed in the period of 2017–2019 in Italy. Data were extracted from the Italian section of the 2017 and 2019 editions of the European Social Survey (ESS). We compared the two surveys highlighting changes in public opinion on vaccines. A descriptive analysis of the socio-cultural variables according to the answers provided to key questions on the harmfulness of vaccines was conducted. Differences between percentages were tested by using the χ2 test. The association between the opinion about the harmfulness of vaccines and trust in the scientific community was analyzed through a logistic regression model. Compared to ESS8, ESS9 showed an increase in the percentage of respondents disagreeing with the harmfulness of vaccines. Trust in the scientific community raised in the period from 2017 to 2019 (59% vs. 69.6%). Higher education was significantly associated with disagreement regarding the harmfulness of vaccines (odds ratio (OR) = 2.41; 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.75–3.31), the strongest predictor was trust in the scientific community (OR = 10.47; 95% CI 7.55–14.52). In Italy, trust in the scientific community and in vaccinations has grown significantly in recent years, indicating a paradigm shift in public opinion compared to the past. Central actions and effective public communication strategies might reduce vaccine hesitancy and could be essential to garner public trust.

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“…However, in the last decade, the frequency of infant immunization has decreased alarmingly, leading to the introduction of a new law, the "Italian National Immunization Prevention Plan 2017-19" (n. 119/2017), which prescribes mandatory vaccinations against ten diseases for preschool and school-aged children [7]. The implementation of the law contributed to an increased awareness of the importance of vaccination in the Italian population [8]. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this awareness was further boosted by the broad diffusion of science-supporting messages from experts about vaccine safety and effectiveness.…”

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“…As in Italy before the pandemic [ 6 ], recently, in Romania there has been an increasingly strong discourse against the idea of vaccination, a discourse that we can say reached its peak at the time of the first discussions on a vaccine as a possible remedy in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. This increasingly vocal discourse has been interpreted by most as an anti-vaccination movement, but as shown by Yaqub et al [ 7 ], the idea of hesitation should not be confused with the vehement refusal of vaccination.…”

“…This increasingly vocal discourse has been interpreted by most as an anti-vaccination movement, but as shown by Yaqub et al [ 7 ], the idea of hesitation should not be confused with the vehement refusal of vaccination. Specifically, vaccine hesitancy “is a complex phenomenon, context specific, varies across time, place, and types of vaccine” [ 6 , 8 ]. The limitations, restrictions and high degree of transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 have led to the need to develop a safe, effective and long-lasting vaccine in the fight against the many new strains of this Coronavirus.…”

“…Several countries at the European, and even global, level have encountered difficulties in national vaccination campaigns, difficulties caused by the pro-vaccination public discourse in opposition to the attitudes of the population [ 11 ]. Factors that have led to public hesitation over vaccination may vary from area to area [ 12 ]: thrombosis and vascular side effects have caused much controversy in Europe [ 13 ]; other countries also have a culture of hesitation and refusal to vaccinate [ 6 , 14 ]. In addition to the possible side effects and reluctance embedded in state culture, distrust of state institutions and national government [ 15 ] has led to a new dimension of the variety of factors that translates into hesitation about vaccination in general.…”