Trust in government, intention to vaccinate and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A comparative survey of five large cities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Issue 17 (14th April 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Trent, Mallory; Seale, Holly; Chughtai, Abrar Ahmad; Salmon, Daniel; MacIntyre, C. Raina
• Is Part Of: Vaccine. Volume 40:Issue 17(2022)
• Page Start: 2498
• Page End: 2505
• Publication Date: 2022-04-14
• Subjects: Vaccine hesitancy -- COVID-19 -- SARS-CoV-2 -- Coronavirus; Vaccines -- Periodicals; 615.372
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.06.048
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0264-410X

Abstract

Abstract: Background: There is widespread hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Objective: To identify predictors of willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 in five cities with varying COVID-19 incidence in the US, UK, and Australia. Design: Online, cross-sectional survey of adults from Dynata's research panel in July-September 2020. Participants, setting: Adults aged 18 and over in Sydney, Melbourne, London, New York City, or Phoenix. Main outcomes and measures: Willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine; reason for vaccine intention. Statistical methods: To identify predictors of intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, we used Poisson regression with robust error estimation to produce prevalence ratios. Results: The proportion willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine was 70% in London, 71% NYC, 72% in Sydney, 76% in Phoenix, and 78% in Melbourne. Age was the only sociodemographic characteristic that predicted willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in all five cities. In Sydney and Melbourne, participants with high confidence in their current government had greater willingness to receive the vaccine (PR = 1.24; 95% CI = 1.07–1.44 and PR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.74–1.62), while participants with high confidence in their current government in NYC and Phoenix were less likely to be willing to receive the vaccine (PR = 0.78; 95% CI = 0.72–0.85 and PR = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.76–0.96). Limitations: Consumer panels can be subject to bias and may not be representative of the general population. Conclusions: Success for COVID-19 vaccination programs requires high levels of vaccine acceptance. Our data suggests more than 25% of adults may not be willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but many of them were not explicitly anti-vaccination and thus may become more willing to vaccinate over time. Among the three countries surveyed, there appears to be cultural differences, political influences, and differing experiences with COVID-19 that may affect willingness to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.