Facilitating free and paid vaccine acceptance in Malaysia: effectiveness of vaccine and fear of COVID-19

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to examine how demographic and psychological predictors of free and paid vaccine acceptance operate within an infectious environment. The psychological predictors were derived from the protection motivation theory (PMT), including the appraised effectiveness of vaccine in containing the pandemic and the fear of COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachA representative data set that consists of responses from 2,850 Malaysians was used in this study. Multi-level modelling was used to analyse the data.FindingsResults indicated that the acceptance of free and paid vaccination did not differ by region. This suggests that the effects of the included psychological predictors on vaccine acceptance are independent from the environment. Malaysians are more likely to endorse both free and paid vaccination when it is perceived as effective in controlling the pandemic. When the vaccine is deemed as an effective preventive of COVID-19, Malaysians tend to seek free vaccination. Although fear of COVID-19 did significantly predict the endorsement of vaccination, it is a weaker predictor than the perceived effectiveness of vaccine.Originality/valueThis research used a large representative data set and the PMT framework in addressing vaccine acceptance in Malaysia.