Abstract
BackgroundVaccination intention is key to the success of any vaccination programme, alongside vaccine availability and access. Public intention to take a COVID-19 vaccine is high in England and Wales compared to other countries, but vaccination rate disparities between ethnic, social and age groups has led to concern. MethodsOnline survey of prospective household community cohort study participants across England and Wales (Virus Watch). Vaccination intention was measured by individual participant responses to ‘Would you accept a COVID-19 vaccine if offered?’, collected in December 2020 and February 2021. Responses to a 13-item questionnaire collected in January 2021 were analysed using factor analysis to investigate psychological influences on vaccination intention. ResultsSurvey response rate was 56% (20,785/36,998) in December 2020 and 53% (20,590/38,727) in February 2021, with 14,880 adults reporting across both time points. In December 2020, 1,469 (10%) participants responded ‘No’ or ‘Unsure’. Of these people, 1,266 (86%) changed their mind and responded ‘Yes’ or ‘Already had a COVID-19 vaccine’ by February 2021. Vaccination intention increased across all ethnic groups and levels of social deprivation. Age was most strongly associated with vaccination intention, with 16–24-year-olds more likely to respond “Unsure” or “No” versus “Yes” than 65–74-year-olds in December 2020 (OR: 4.63, 95 %CI: 3.42, 6.27 & OR 7.17 95 %CI: 4.26, 12.07 respectively) and February 2021 (OR: 27.92 95 %CI: 13.79, 56.51 & OR 17.16 95 %CI: 4.12, 71.55). The association between ethnicity and vaccination intention weakened, but did not disappear, over time. Both vaccine- and illness-related psychological factors were shown to influence vaccination intention. ConclusionsFour in five adults (86%) who were reluctant or intending to refuse a COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020 had changed their mind in February 2021 and planned to accept, or had already accepted, a vaccine.
Highlights
Vaccination intention, which refers to the intention to take or refuse a vaccine when offered, determines the success of any vaccination programme, alongside vaccine availability and access
Public intention to take a COVID-19 vaccine when offered is high in the UK [5], but evidence of disparities in vaccination intention between ethnic and social groups has led to significant concern among public health practitioners, the National Health Service (NHS), voluntary sector organisations, the media and politicians [6,7,8]
This study aims to: (1) Examine how COVID-19 vaccination intention has changed over time, across different populations in England and Wales
Summary
Vaccination intention, which refers to the intention to take or refuse a vaccine when offered, determines the success of any vaccination programme, alongside vaccine availability and access. Public intention to take a COVID-19 vaccine when offered is high in the UK [5], but evidence of disparities in vaccination intention between ethnic and social groups has led to significant concern among public health practitioners, the National Health Service (NHS) (which is leading the UK’s vaccine delivery), voluntary sector organisations, the media and politicians [6,7,8]. Public intention to take a COVID-19 vaccine is high in England and Wales compared to other countries, but vaccination rate disparities between ethnic, social and age groups has led to concern. Vaccination intention was measured by individual participant responses to ‘Would you accept a COVID-19 vaccine if offered?’, collected in December 2020 and February 2021.
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