Risk, Trust, and Flawed Assumptions: Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Background: The pace at which the present pandemic and future public health crises involving viral infections are eradicated heavily depends on the availability and routine implementation of vaccines. This process is further affected by a willingness to vaccinate, embedded in the phenomenon of vacci...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.700213/full |
| _version_ | 1818623940987191296 |
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| author | Omid V. Ebrahimi Omid V. Ebrahimi Miriam S. Johnson Sara Ebling Ole Myklebust Amundsen Øyvind Halsøy Asle Hoffart Asle Hoffart Nora Skjerdingstad Sverre Urnes Johnson Sverre Urnes Johnson |
| author_facet | Omid V. Ebrahimi Omid V. Ebrahimi Miriam S. Johnson Sara Ebling Ole Myklebust Amundsen Øyvind Halsøy Asle Hoffart Asle Hoffart Nora Skjerdingstad Sverre Urnes Johnson Sverre Urnes Johnson |
| author_sort | Omid V. Ebrahimi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: The pace at which the present pandemic and future public health crises involving viral infections are eradicated heavily depends on the availability and routine implementation of vaccines. This process is further affected by a willingness to vaccinate, embedded in the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy. The World Health Organization has listed vaccine hesitancy among the greatest threats to global health, calling for research to identify the factors associated with this phenomenon.Methods: The present cross-sectional study seeks to investigate the psychological, contextual, and sociodemographic factors associated with vaccination hesitancy in a large sample of the adult population. 4,571 Norwegian adults were recruited through an online survey between January 23 to February 2, 2021. Subgroup analyzes and multiple logistic regression was utilized to identify the covariates of vaccine hesitancy.Results: Several subgroups hesitant toward vaccination were identified, including males, rural residents, and parents with children below 18 years of age. No differences were found between natives and non-natives, across education or age groups. Individuals preferring unmonitored media platforms (e.g., information from peers, social media, online forums, and blogs) more frequently reported hesitance toward vaccination than those relying on information obtainment from source-verified platforms. Perceived risk of vaccination, belief in the superiority of natural immunity, fear concerning significant others being infected by the virus, and trust in health officials' dissemination of vaccine-related information were identified as key variables related to vaccine hesitancy.Conclusion: Given the heterogeneous range of variables associated with vaccine hesitancy, additional strategies to eradicate vaccination fears are called for aside from campaigns targeting the spread of false information. Responding to affective reactions in addition to involving other community leaders besides government and health officials present promising approaches that may aid in combating vaccination hesitation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T18:49:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-89cc7d64bc5b4b26a464b7a7866c1a3a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T18:49:03Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-89cc7d64bc5b4b26a464b7a7866c1a3a2022-12-21T22:20:45ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652021-07-01910.3389/fpubh.2021.700213700213Risk, Trust, and Flawed Assumptions: Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 PandemicOmid V. Ebrahimi0Omid V. Ebrahimi1Miriam S. Johnson2Sara Ebling3Ole Myklebust Amundsen4Øyvind Halsøy5Asle Hoffart6Asle Hoffart7Nora Skjerdingstad8Sverre Urnes Johnson9Sverre Urnes Johnson10Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayModum Bad Psychiatric Hospital, Vikersund, NorwayDepartment of Behavioural Science, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, NorwayDepartment of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayModum Bad Psychiatric Hospital, Vikersund, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayModum Bad Psychiatric Hospital, Vikersund, NorwayBackground: The pace at which the present pandemic and future public health crises involving viral infections are eradicated heavily depends on the availability and routine implementation of vaccines. This process is further affected by a willingness to vaccinate, embedded in the phenomenon of vaccine hesitancy. The World Health Organization has listed vaccine hesitancy among the greatest threats to global health, calling for research to identify the factors associated with this phenomenon.Methods: The present cross-sectional study seeks to investigate the psychological, contextual, and sociodemographic factors associated with vaccination hesitancy in a large sample of the adult population. 4,571 Norwegian adults were recruited through an online survey between January 23 to February 2, 2021. Subgroup analyzes and multiple logistic regression was utilized to identify the covariates of vaccine hesitancy.Results: Several subgroups hesitant toward vaccination were identified, including males, rural residents, and parents with children below 18 years of age. No differences were found between natives and non-natives, across education or age groups. Individuals preferring unmonitored media platforms (e.g., information from peers, social media, online forums, and blogs) more frequently reported hesitance toward vaccination than those relying on information obtainment from source-verified platforms. Perceived risk of vaccination, belief in the superiority of natural immunity, fear concerning significant others being infected by the virus, and trust in health officials' dissemination of vaccine-related information were identified as key variables related to vaccine hesitancy.Conclusion: Given the heterogeneous range of variables associated with vaccine hesitancy, additional strategies to eradicate vaccination fears are called for aside from campaigns targeting the spread of false information. Responding to affective reactions in addition to involving other community leaders besides government and health officials present promising approaches that may aid in combating vaccination hesitation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.700213/fullvaccine hesitancygeneral adult populationCOVID-19 pandemicinformation platformserroneous beliefspsychological predictors |
| spellingShingle | Omid V. Ebrahimi Omid V. Ebrahimi Miriam S. Johnson Sara Ebling Ole Myklebust Amundsen Øyvind Halsøy Asle Hoffart Asle Hoffart Nora Skjerdingstad Sverre Urnes Johnson Sverre Urnes Johnson Risk, Trust, and Flawed Assumptions: Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic Frontiers in Public Health vaccine hesitancy general adult population COVID-19 pandemic information platforms erroneous beliefs psychological predictors |
| title | Risk, Trust, and Flawed Assumptions: Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full | Risk, Trust, and Flawed Assumptions: Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Risk, Trust, and Flawed Assumptions: Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Risk, Trust, and Flawed Assumptions: Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_short | Risk, Trust, and Flawed Assumptions: Vaccine Hesitancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic |
| title_sort | risk trust and flawed assumptions vaccine hesitancy during the covid 19 pandemic |
| topic | vaccine hesitancy general adult population COVID-19 pandemic information platforms erroneous beliefs psychological predictors |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.700213/full |
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