COVID-19 Vaccine Rejection among Muslims in Turkey: Religiosity and Fear of Death

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the relationship between COVID-19 vaccine refusal and religiosity and fear of death among Muslims living in Turkey. This cross-sectional study was conducted online with 1046 adults aged 18 and older. The Ok-Religious Attitude Scale (Islam) (ORASI) (8 items) and Thorson-Powell Death Anxiety Scale (TPDAS) (20 items) were used as data collection instruments. The data were analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test, Student's t-test, and binary logistic regression. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. The proportion of those who had not received the vaccine in the study COVID-19 was 35.1%. While religiosity scores for the group that had not received the COVID-19 vaccine were low (p < 0.05), death anxiety scores were high but not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In binary logistic regression analysis, vaccine rejection was 7.19 times higher among single people, 50.55 times higher among workers and tradesmen, and 3.36 times higher among people who did not have COVID-19. As religiosity increased, the risk of vaccine refusal decreased 1.037-fold.