RELIGION, TRUST IN GOVERNMENT AND COVID-19 VACCINE ACCEPTANCE IN AFRICA

The development of vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic brought a huge relief to governments, health workers, and citizens around the globe. However, some citizens are not willing to get vaccinated. Some researchers have attributed this vaccine hesitancy to religion and trust in the government handling the pandemic. This research aims to investigate the impact of these two factors on COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Africa. We used data from round 8 of the Afrobarometer survey with a sample size of 6,057 participants. Means, proportions, standard deviations, and ordered logistic regressions were used in the analysis. The results show that Christians and members of other religions such as Hinduism and Hare Krishna were more likely to accept COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, the study found that people who hold some beliefs about the vaccines were less likely to get vaccinated. Finally, citizens who trust the government’s handling of the pandemic were more willing to accept COVID-19 vaccination. Based on these findings, a number of religious health promotion measures are proposed.