Personality and adherence to the COVID-19 vaccine: the role of agreeableness and openness traits

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to verify the relationship between personality traits and commitment to vaccination against COVID-19. Material and methods: The sample consisted of 595 Brazilian adults aged 18-72 years, who answered the Big Five Inventory 2 Short (BFI-2-S) and a COVID-19 Vaccine Questionnaire. Results and discussion: Higher scores in agreeableness and openness were associated with a higher probability of adhering to the vaccination program, and higher scores in extroversion and lower scores in agreeableness were associated with poor adherence to the vaccination, anti-vaccine movement, and conspiracy beliefs against the vaccine (p ≤ .01). These results show the agreeableness and openness traits seem to be crucial for adherence to the vaccination program. Conclusion: The findings indicate the importance of acknowledging agreeableness and openness traits as relevant in the adherence to the public policies programs against the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 Polish Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.