Age and partisan self-identification predict uptake of additional COVID-19 booster doses: Evidence from a longitudinal study

Abstract

COVID-19 continues to threaten public health and authorities recommend that people receive additional doses of booster vaccines. We conducted a longitudinal study to investigate the correlates of uptake of additional COVID-19 booster doses among that population that already received a booster dose. In February 2023, we completed a panel study of 208 adults in the U.S. state of South Dakota who indicated receiving a booster dose in a similar survey conducted in May 2022. We measured COVID-19 vaccination status, trust in government, interpersonal trust, age, gender, education, income, and partisan self-identification. We examined the effect of change in these values of the two trust variables over time. We found statistically significant associations between age, partisan self-identification, and the uptake of additional booster doses. Neither of the time-variant trust variables were statistically significant. Our results showed the presence of differences in vaccination behavior even among the people who are fully vaccinated and boosted.