Factors Affecting Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccination: An Online Survey in Slovenia.

Luka Petravić,Andrej Srakar,Ajda Pretnar,Ana Slavec,Nina Starešinič,Matjaž Zwitter,Lucija Jazbec,Lea Zorman,Rok Arh,Tina Gabrovec,Nika Rupčić

doi:10.3390/vaccines9030247

Luka Petravić, Andrej Srakar + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9030247

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Abstract

While the problem of vaccine hesitancy is not new, it has become more pronounced with the new COVID-19 vaccines and represents an obstacle to resolving the crisis. Even people who would usually trust vaccines and experts now prefer to wait for more information. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Slovenia in December 2020 to find out the attitudes of the population regarding COVID-19 vaccination and the factors that affect these attitudes. Based on 12,042 fully completed questionnaires, we find that higher intention to get vaccinated is associated with men, older respondents, physicians and medical students, respondents who got the influenza vaccination, those who knew someone who had gotten hospitalised or died from COVID-19 and those who have more trust in experts, institutions and vaccines. Nurses and technicians were less likely to get vaccinated. In answers to an open question, sceptics were split into those doubting the quality due to the rapid development of the vaccine and those that reported personal experiences with side effects of prior vaccinations. Although the Slovenian population is diverse in its attitudes towards vaccination, the results are comparable to those found in other countries. However, there are potential limitations to the generalizability of the findings that should be addressed in future studies.

Highlights

While vaccination is widely recognised as an effective way to reduce or eliminate the burden of infectious diseases by health authorities and the medical community [1], its benefit depends on the willingness of individuals to be vaccinated [2]
A pneumococcal vaccine survey has shown that older people have more trust in vaccine and have more positive attitude towards vaccination based on former good experiences [17]
Our study found that physicians and medical students have a higher trust in official sources and are more likely to believe in the safety and efficiency of the vaccine, while other healthcare professionals (HCP) and HC students are more likely to believe alternative sources, even more than non-healthcare professionals (non-HCP)

Summary

Introduction

While vaccination is widely recognised as an effective way to reduce or eliminate the burden of infectious diseases by health authorities and the medical community [1], its benefit depends on the willingness of individuals to be vaccinated [2]. In addition to finding out how many would take the vaccine, the study aimed to estimate the factors that impact the decision. These results can provide healthcare policymakers in Slovenia and other countries reliable information to allow them to improve immunisation plans and create better-targeted vaccination-related communication campaigns

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