The image of vaccination in Slovenia: attitudes toward the effectiveness, safety, and importance of vaccination—a population based survey

Abstract

Scepticism and negative attitudes toward vaccination are growing, generating the risk of decreasing vaccination coverage, with potential impact on the individual and community. Our aim was to obtain the first reliable national assessment of attitudes regarding the effectiveness, safety, and importance of vaccination among Slovenia’s general population and explore their socio-demographic determinants. A cross-sectional survey was performed in a random sample of the general population. We used multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify factors independently associated with positive attitudes toward the effectiveness, safety, and importance of vaccination. In our survey, 8590 individuals aged 25–74 years participated; the overall response rate was 55%. Approximately two-thirds of participants expressed positive attitudes toward the effectiveness and importance of vaccination (64.9% and 67.6%, respectively). However, almost one-third (31.0%) of them expressed a fear of vaccination because of side effects. Two predictors for positive attitudes toward the effectiveness and importance of vaccination were higher social class and participation in preventive examinations. Factors associated with lower odds for a positive attitude toward the safety of vaccination included female sex, minors in the household, and average assessment of health status. Our study contributed an important insight into the Slovenian attitude toward vaccination among the general population. It showed that there are some socio-demographic determinants that are related to attitudes regarding the effectiveness, safety, and importance of vaccination. There is a need to address public concerns regarding vaccination in order to increase and maintain optimal coverage rates by implementing comprehensive communication strategies.