It's Not Just the Demographics: Psychological and Attitudinal Determinants, and Social Influence Most Strongly Affect COVID-19 Vaccination Intention.

Abstract

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, a larger than anticipated number of people had the hesitancy to take a SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine even when the vaccines have been strongly recommended by the medical community. Our study examined the demographic, psychological, and attitudinal determinants, and social influence on COVID-19 vaccine intent. Through an online survey with a nationwide diverse sample of 4,024 adult respondents during the height of the pandemic, our results showed that perceived confidence in COVID-19 vaccines regarding their safety, perceived benefits of getting vaccinated, collective responsibility and perceived convenience in getting the COVID-19 vaccine all showed significant positive effects on respondents' vaccine intent. The psychological, attitudinal and social factors showed much stronger effects on vaccine intent than demographic variables. Our study contributes to the understanding of vaccine intention which can help guide where framing can be most effective and where limited resources should be devoted to increasing vaccination in future pandemics. From a practical standpoint, our study isolates which factors are influencing intention the most and our findings can help guide practitioners to create communication strategies that can be both more focused on the psychological determinants and social influences to ensure higher efficacy.