Changes in Confidence, Feelings, and Perceived Necessity Concerning COVID-19 Booster
The COVID-19 booster first became available to all adults in the U.S. in November 2021 and a bivalent version in September 2022, but a large population remains booster-hesitant; only 17% of Americans have obtained the updated vaccine as of June 2023. We conducted two cross-sectional surveys in 2021...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/7/1244 |
| _version_ | 1827731580539371520 |
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| author | Cheryl Lin Brooke Bier Ann M. Reed John J. Paat Pikuei Tu |
| author_facet | Cheryl Lin Brooke Bier Ann M. Reed John J. Paat Pikuei Tu |
| author_sort | Cheryl Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 booster first became available to all adults in the U.S. in November 2021 and a bivalent version in September 2022, but a large population remains booster-hesitant; only 17% of Americans have obtained the updated vaccine as of June 2023. We conducted two cross-sectional surveys in 2021 and 2022 (<i>n</i> = 1889 and 1319) to determine whether changes in booster-related feelings or perceptions had occurred and whether they altered vaccination rates over time. We found that both positive and negative emotions had grown stronger between the two years, with the prevalence of annoyance increasing the most (21.5% to 39.7%). The impact of trust on booster intention more than doubled (OR = 7.46 to 16.04). Although perceived risk of infection decreased, more participants in 2022 indicated uncertainty or unwillingness to obtain a new booster than in 2021, while the proportion refusing a booster remained constant at 22.5%. Confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine and feelings of hope from the booster motivated acceptance; both were stronger predictors of booster receptivity than prior vaccination history. Our findings signal a need to rebuild trust by informing people of their continued risk and appealing to positive, especially optimistic emotions to encourage booster uptake. Future research should explore longitudinal trends in behavior and feelings toward new booster doses and the impact of prolonged vaccine hesitancy on infection rates. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:34:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4ce03debdba04919a3b51433f869d735 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:34:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-4ce03debdba04919a3b51433f869d7352023-11-18T21:41:38ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2023-07-01117124410.3390/vaccines11071244Changes in Confidence, Feelings, and Perceived Necessity Concerning COVID-19 BoosterCheryl Lin0Brooke Bier1Ann M. Reed2John J. Paat3Pikuei Tu4Policy and Organizational Management Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USAPolicy and Organizational Management Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USASchool of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USASchool of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USAPolicy and Organizational Management Program, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USAThe COVID-19 booster first became available to all adults in the U.S. in November 2021 and a bivalent version in September 2022, but a large population remains booster-hesitant; only 17% of Americans have obtained the updated vaccine as of June 2023. We conducted two cross-sectional surveys in 2021 and 2022 (<i>n</i> = 1889 and 1319) to determine whether changes in booster-related feelings or perceptions had occurred and whether they altered vaccination rates over time. We found that both positive and negative emotions had grown stronger between the two years, with the prevalence of annoyance increasing the most (21.5% to 39.7%). The impact of trust on booster intention more than doubled (OR = 7.46 to 16.04). Although perceived risk of infection decreased, more participants in 2022 indicated uncertainty or unwillingness to obtain a new booster than in 2021, while the proportion refusing a booster remained constant at 22.5%. Confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine and feelings of hope from the booster motivated acceptance; both were stronger predictors of booster receptivity than prior vaccination history. Our findings signal a need to rebuild trust by informing people of their continued risk and appealing to positive, especially optimistic emotions to encourage booster uptake. Future research should explore longitudinal trends in behavior and feelings toward new booster doses and the impact of prolonged vaccine hesitancy on infection rates.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/7/1244vaccine hesitancytrustrisk perceptionshealth behaviorpublic healthcommunication |
| spellingShingle | Cheryl Lin Brooke Bier Ann M. Reed John J. Paat Pikuei Tu Changes in Confidence, Feelings, and Perceived Necessity Concerning COVID-19 Booster Vaccines vaccine hesitancy trust risk perceptions health behavior public health communication |
| title | Changes in Confidence, Feelings, and Perceived Necessity Concerning COVID-19 Booster |
| title_full | Changes in Confidence, Feelings, and Perceived Necessity Concerning COVID-19 Booster |
| title_fullStr | Changes in Confidence, Feelings, and Perceived Necessity Concerning COVID-19 Booster |
| title_full_unstemmed | Changes in Confidence, Feelings, and Perceived Necessity Concerning COVID-19 Booster |
| title_short | Changes in Confidence, Feelings, and Perceived Necessity Concerning COVID-19 Booster |
| title_sort | changes in confidence feelings and perceived necessity concerning covid 19 booster |
| topic | vaccine hesitancy trust risk perceptions health behavior public health communication |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/11/7/1244 |
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