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1. Vaccine Hesitancy and Rejection of a Vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus in the United States

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.558270  

   Shih, Shu-Fang; Wagner, Abram L.; Masters, Nina B.; Prosser, Lisa A.; Lu, Yihan; Zikmund-Fisher, Brian J. (June 2021, Frontiers in Immunology)

   null (Ed.)

   The arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine has been accompanied by increased discussion of vaccine hesitancy. However, it is unclear if there are shared patterns between general vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 vaccine rejection, or if these are two different concepts. This study characterized rejection of a hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine, and compared patterns of association between general vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 vaccine rejection. The survey was conducted online March 20-22, 2020. Participants answered questions on vaccine hesitancy and responded if they would accept the vaccine given different safety and effectiveness profiles. We assessed differences in COVID-19 rejection and general vaccine hesitancy through logistic regressions. Among 713 participants, 33.0% were vaccine hesitant, and 18.4% would reject a COVID-19 vaccine. Acceptance varied by effectiveness profile: 10.2% would reject a 95% effective COVID-19 vaccine, but 32.4% would reject a 50% effective vaccine. Those vaccine hesitant were significantly more likely to reject COVID-19 vaccination [odds ratio (OR): 5.56, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.39, 9.11]. In multivariable logistic regression models, there were similar patterns for vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 vaccine rejection by gender, race/ethnicity, family income, and political affiliation. But the direction of association flipped by urbanicity (P=0.0146, with rural dwellers less likely to be COVID-19 vaccine rejecters but more likely to be vaccine hesitant in general), and age (P=0.0037, with fewer pronounced differences across age for COVID-19 vaccine rejection, but a gradient of stronger vaccine hesitancy in general among younger ages). During the COVID-19 epidemic’s early phase, patterns of vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 vaccine rejection were relatively similar. A significant minority would reject a COVID-19 vaccine, especially one with less-than-ideal effectiveness. Preparations for introducing the COVID-19 vaccine should anticipate substantial hesitation and target concerns, especially among younger adults. 

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2. Determinants of the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy spectrum

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267734  

   Piltch-Loeb, Rachael; Silver, Diana R.; Kim, Yeerae; Norris, Hope; McNeill, Elizabeth; Abramson, David M. (June 2022, PLOS ONE)

   Rosenbaum, Janet E (Ed.)

   Vaccine hesitancy remains an issue in the United States. This study conducted an online survey [N = 3,013] using the Social Science Research Solution [SSRS] Opinion Panel web panelists, representative of U.S. adults age 18 and older who use the internet, with an oversample of rural-dwelling and minority populations between April 8 and April 22, 2021- as vaccine eligibility opened to the country. We examined the relationship between COVID-19 exposure and socio-demographics with vaccine intentions [eager-to-take, wait-and-see, undecided, refuse] among the unvaccinated using multinomial logistic regressions [ref: fully/partially vaccinated]. Results showed vaccine intentions varied by demographic characteristics and COVID-19 experience during the period that eligibility for the vaccine was extended to all adults. At the time of the survey approximately 40% of respondents were unvaccinated; 41% knew someone who had died of COVID-19, and 38% had experienced financial hardship as a result of the pandemic. The vaccinated were more likely to be highly educated, older adults, consistent with the United States initial eligibility criteria. Political affiliation and financial hardship experienced during the pandemic were the two most salient factors associated with being undecided or unwilling to take the vaccine. 

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3. A Cross-Sectional Study Examining Vaccine Uptake and Attitudes Among Parents Compared to Other Adults

   https://doi.org/10.1177/10901981251361433  

   Massey, Philip M; Chuang, Andrew; Holman, E Alison; Silver, Roxane Cohen; Garfin, Dana Rose (April 2026, Health Education & Behavior)

   Encouraging vaccine uptake among U.S. residents is an increasingly important public health issue that was magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy, an important correlate of vaccine uptake, has been studied extensively in parents with respect to parental attitudes and decision-making toward vaccinating their children. Less work has examined parent attitudes and behaviors regarding personal vaccine uptake and how COVID-19-related vaccine attitudes and behaviors may differ from other types of vaccine attitudes and behaviors (e.g., influenza vaccination). We surveyed a probability-based sample of 585 United States adults in November 2021. Parents (i.e., primary caregiver of at least one child aged 18 years or younger, living in the home) compared to other adults, demographics (age, sex, income, education, ethnicity, urbanicity), and political affiliation were examined as correlates of COVID-19 vaccine attitudes and COVID-19 and influenza vaccine uptake. Multivariate linear regression analyses examined attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Compared to other adults, parents of children aged 18 years or younger reported more negative attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Multivariate logistic models examined the odds of COVID-19 vaccine and influenza vaccine uptake. Compared to other adults, parents of children aged 18 years or younger had a significantly lower odds of COVID-19 vaccine uptake; differences in influenza vaccine uptake were not statistically significant. Results suggest vaccination attitudes and behaviors may be pathogen specific. Tailored public health messaging that address the concerns of caregivers may help improve vaccine uptake. 

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4. Latinx youth’s and parents’ covid-19 beliefs, vaccine hesitancy and vaccination rates: Longitudinal associations in a community sample

   https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0307479  

   Mantina, Namoonga M; Ngaybe, Maiya_G Block; Zeiders, Katharine H; Osman, Kayla M; Wilkinson-Lee, Ada M; Landor, Antoinette M; Hoyt, Lindsay T (July 2024, PLOS ONE)

   Stimpson, Jim P (Ed.)

   IntroductionThe Latinx population has the second highest COVID-19 death rate among racial/ethnic groups in the United States and less than half of Latinx youth aged 5–17 years old completed their COVID-19 primary vaccination series as of September 2022. COVID-19 vaccine misinformation detrimentally impacts vaccination rates. In this study, we examined factors that predicted Latinx youth COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccination status. MethodsA community-based sample of 290 Latinx parent and adolescent dyads from a Southwestern metropolitan area of the United States who were recruited to complete an online survey at baseline at T1 (August 2020 –March 2021) and one year later. We tested a longitudinal mediation model in which we examined individual and family factors that would predict youth COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccination status over time. ResultsYouth’s pandemic disbelief (i.e., the belief that the COVID-19 pandemic is a conspiracy or not real) predicted greater youth’s COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and in turn, a lower likelihood of youth’s COVID-19 vaccination. Youth’s pandemic disbelief also predicted greater parent’s vaccination hesitancy which, in turn, predicted greater youth’s vaccination hesitancy and a lower likelihood of COVID-19 vaccination. Parents’ pandemic disbelief predicted their own COVID-19 hesitancy, but not youth hesitancy. DiscussionOur study findings provide initial evidence that general pandemic disbelief was a significant driver of vaccine hesitancy and vaccination among Latinx families. The study contributes to the limited research investigating COVID-19 vaccination in the Latinx community and among Latinx youth, further aiding how COVID-19 vaccine disparities can be mitigated among racial/ethnic populations. 

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5. Icon arrays reduce concern over COVID-19 vaccine side effects: a randomized control study

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-022-00387-5  

   Fansher, Madison; Adkins, Tyler J.; Lalwani, Poortata; Boduroglu, Aysecan; Carlson, Madison; Quirk, Madelyn; Lewis, Richard L.; Shah, Priti; Zhang, Han; Jonides, John (December 2022, Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications)

   Abstract On April 13, 2021, the CDC announced that the administration of Johnson and Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine would be paused due to a rare blood clotting side effect in ~ 0.0001% of people given the vaccine. Most people who are hesitant to get a COVID-19 vaccine list potential side effects as their main concern (PEW, 2021); thus, it is likely that this announcement increased vaccine hesitancy among the American public. Two days after the CDC’s announcement, we administered a survey to a group of 2,046 Americans to assess their changes in attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccines. The aim of this study was to investigate whether viewing icon arrays of side effect risk would prevent increases in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy due to the announcement. We found that using icon arrays to illustrate the small chance of experiencing the blood clotting side effect significantly prevented increases in aversion toward the Johnson and Johnson vaccine as well as all other COVID-19 vaccines. 

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