Barriers and facilitators to the future uptake of regular COVID-19 booster vaccinations among young adults in the UK

Abstract

The evidence of waning immunity offered by COVID-19 vaccines suggests that widespread and regular uptake of routine COVID-19 booster vaccines will be needed. In order to understand the hesitancy toward COVID-19 boosters, we examined the barriers and facilitators to receiving regular COVID-19 boosters in a sample of young adults in the UK. A cross-sectional survey was completed by 423 participants (M = 22.8; SD = 8.6 years) and assessed intention to receive regular COVID-19 boosters, the 7C antecedents of vaccination (i.e. confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation, collective responsibility, and compliance and conspiracy), and any previous experience of side-effects from COVID-19 vaccines. Participants also provided a free text qualitative response outlining their barriers and facilitators to receiving regular COVID-19 boosters. Overall, 42.8% of the sample were hesitant about receiving regular COVID-19 boosters. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that intention to accept future boosters was associated with having higher levels of confidence in, and compliance with, vaccines, lower levels of complacency, calculation and perceptions of constraints to vaccination, and having experienced less severe side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines. Qualitative responses highlighted the main barriers included experiencing side effects with previous COVID-19 vaccines and inaccessibility of vaccination services. Key facilitators included protecting the health of friends and family members, protecting personal health, and maintaining regular activities. Our findings suggest that interventions targeted at increasing booster uptake should address the experience of side effects while also emphasizing the positive vaccine benefits relating to the individual’s health and the maintenance of their regular work and social activities.

“Every Time It Comes Time for Another Shot, It’s a Re-Evaluation”: A Qualitative Study of Intent to Receive COVID-19 Boosters among Parents Who Were Hesitant Adopters of the COVID-19 Vaccine

“…We found that past COVID-19 infection was commonly reported among participants and their child(ren), indicating that personal experience may contribute to participants’ perceptions of the risks of COVID-19 infection, as has been found in prior studies [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. This is consistent with the broader literature on risk evaluation in the vaccination process, as well as the growing literature on COVID-19 booster acceptance [ 7 , 29 , 53 , 54 ]. We found hesitant adopter parents’ initial perceptions of the COVID-19 vaccine as risky remained salient for their future vaccination decisions for their children, despite previously choosing to vaccinate their child(ren).…”

Acceptability of COVID-19 booster vaccine in malaysia: a cross-sectional study

“…Barriers to booster acceptance may include concerns about side effects, misinformation about booster safety, logistical challenges in accessing vaccination sites, or scepticism regarding the necessity of additional doses. A detailed understanding of these barriers necessitates a comprehensive examination of individual responses and qualitative insights 37 . Healthcare policymakers can strategically address these barriers by organising health intervention programmes, such as health promotion campaigns focused on booster vaccines.…”

Age and partisan self-identification predict uptake of additional COVID-19 booster doses: Evidence from a longitudinal study

“…Scholars have started investigating the correlates of lower booster uptake ( Agaku et al, 2022 , Bennett et al, 2022 , Williams et al, 2022 ). Scientific studies showed that variables such as age, trust in government, and partisan self-identification, among others, correlated with booster uptake ( Rzymski et al, 2021 , Yoshida et al, 2022 , Viskupič and Wiltse, 2023 , Folcarelli et al, 2022 ).…”