Better Late Than Never: Predictors of Delayed COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Poland
In this study, regression models were created to explain the increase of COVID-19 vaccination rates in 378 Polish sub-regions. In order to trace the factors that could explain the willingness to delay vaccination, vaccination rates were compared for age groups of 20 years and more for 30 June 2020 a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Vaccines |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/4/528 |
| _version_ | 1827619447088611328 |
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| author | Marcin Piotr Walkowiak Jan Domaradzki Dariusz Walkowiak |
| author_facet | Marcin Piotr Walkowiak Jan Domaradzki Dariusz Walkowiak |
| author_sort | Marcin Piotr Walkowiak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this study, regression models were created to explain the increase of COVID-19 vaccination rates in 378 Polish sub-regions. In order to trace the factors that could explain the willingness to delay vaccination, vaccination rates were compared for age groups of 20 years and more for 30 June 2020 and 31 January 2021. Initially high vaccination rates, rather than leading to the gradual exhaustion of the pool of those wishing to get vaccinated, were a very good predictor of the share of the remainder willing to do so, which increased the divergence between sub-regions in nominal vaccination rates. Support for Eurosceptic and anti-establishment parties was a strong predictor of persistent vaccine hesitancy. Ideological divergence from the mainstream appeared to reinforce vaccine hesitancy, and this relationship remained highly relevant even when controlling for possible time or spatial lag. Markers of social inclusion and social capital—voter turnout and employment rate—remained statistically significant even when controlling for time lag, thus implying clear relevance of trust in the public message. The share of the population with higher education remained a highly relevant factor as well, though in the 20–39 age bracket it predicted a higher vaccination rate, while in all older brackets it was a negative predictor—this implies that those people had already made up their minds. Delaying vaccination seems predominantly explainable by political views, as well as social exclusion and the historical specificity of sub-regions. On a regional level, there was actually a paradoxical Spearmans Rho correlation (0.641) between the share of population refusing mandatory vaccination for kids and the percentage of people receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, which further undermines the idea that overall observed vaccine hesitancy was in any meaningful way affected by anti-vaccine movements. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:28:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8921df145ac64711afb123e5f4226978 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-393X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:28:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vaccines |
| spelling | doaj.art-8921df145ac64711afb123e5f42269782023-12-01T21:30:23ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2022-03-0110452810.3390/vaccines10040528Better Late Than Never: Predictors of Delayed COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in PolandMarcin Piotr Walkowiak0Jan Domaradzki1Dariusz Walkowiak2Department of Preventive Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-781 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Organisation and Management in Health Care, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-356 Poznań, PolandIn this study, regression models were created to explain the increase of COVID-19 vaccination rates in 378 Polish sub-regions. In order to trace the factors that could explain the willingness to delay vaccination, vaccination rates were compared for age groups of 20 years and more for 30 June 2020 and 31 January 2021. Initially high vaccination rates, rather than leading to the gradual exhaustion of the pool of those wishing to get vaccinated, were a very good predictor of the share of the remainder willing to do so, which increased the divergence between sub-regions in nominal vaccination rates. Support for Eurosceptic and anti-establishment parties was a strong predictor of persistent vaccine hesitancy. Ideological divergence from the mainstream appeared to reinforce vaccine hesitancy, and this relationship remained highly relevant even when controlling for possible time or spatial lag. Markers of social inclusion and social capital—voter turnout and employment rate—remained statistically significant even when controlling for time lag, thus implying clear relevance of trust in the public message. The share of the population with higher education remained a highly relevant factor as well, though in the 20–39 age bracket it predicted a higher vaccination rate, while in all older brackets it was a negative predictor—this implies that those people had already made up their minds. Delaying vaccination seems predominantly explainable by political views, as well as social exclusion and the historical specificity of sub-regions. On a regional level, there was actually a paradoxical Spearmans Rho correlation (0.641) between the share of population refusing mandatory vaccination for kids and the percentage of people receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, which further undermines the idea that overall observed vaccine hesitancy was in any meaningful way affected by anti-vaccine movements.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/4/528COVID-19vaccinationvaccination coveragetrust in vaccineinterventions to increase vaccination coveragesocial capital |
| spellingShingle | Marcin Piotr Walkowiak Jan Domaradzki Dariusz Walkowiak Better Late Than Never: Predictors of Delayed COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Poland Vaccines COVID-19 vaccination vaccination coverage trust in vaccine interventions to increase vaccination coverage social capital |
| title | Better Late Than Never: Predictors of Delayed COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Poland |
| title_full | Better Late Than Never: Predictors of Delayed COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Poland |
| title_fullStr | Better Late Than Never: Predictors of Delayed COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Poland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Better Late Than Never: Predictors of Delayed COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Poland |
| title_short | Better Late Than Never: Predictors of Delayed COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in Poland |
| title_sort | better late than never predictors of delayed covid 19 vaccine uptake in poland |
| topic | COVID-19 vaccination vaccination coverage trust in vaccine interventions to increase vaccination coverage social capital |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/4/528 |
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