COVID-19 vaccination intention and vaccine hesitancy among citizens of the Métis Nation of Ontario.

Objective: The study objective is to measure the influence of psychological antecedents of vaccination on COVID-19 vaccine intention among citizens of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO).

Methods: A population-based online survey was implemented by the MNO when COVID-19 vaccines were approved in Canada. Questions included vaccine intention, the short version of the "5C" psychological antecedents of vaccination scale (confidence, complacency, constraint, calculation, collective responsibility), and socio-demographics. Census sampling via the MNO Registry was used achieving a 39% response rate. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multinomial logistic regression models (adjusted for sociodemographic variables) were used to analyze the survey data.

Results: The majority of MNO citizens (70.2%) planned to be vaccinated. As compared with vaccine-hesitant individuals, respondents with vaccine intention were more confident in the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, believed that COVID-19 is severe, were willing to protect others from getting COVID-19, and would research the vaccines (Confident OR = 19.4, 95% CI 15.5-24.2; Complacency OR = 6.21, 95% CI 5.38-7.18; Collective responsibility OR = 9.83, 95% CI 8.24-11.72; Calculation OR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.28-1.59). Finally, respondents with vaccine intention were less likely to let everyday stress prevent them from getting COVID-19 vaccines (OR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.42-0.53) compared to vaccine-hesitant individuals.

Conclusion: This research contributes to the knowledge base for Métis health and supported the MNO's information sharing and educational activities during the COVID-19 vaccines rollout. Future research will examine the relationship between the 5Cs and actual uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among MNO citizens.