Factors associated with vaccine hesitancy against COVID-19 among adults in Europe: a descriptive study analysis applying socio-ecological framework

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to explore the factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Europe among adults by using the Socio-Ecological Model. Results This cross-sectional study used secondary data collected from respondents residing in 27 EU countries at the time of May 2021. The outcome was vaccine hesitancy against COVID-19, and the total sample size of 23,606 was analysed by binary logistic regression, as well as McKelvey and Zavonoia’s R2. After adding each level of variables, the model found the significant and increased association with vaccine hesitancy in younger age groups (21–39 years and 40–60 years vs. 65 years+), who left full-time education at a young age (16–19 years), those with manual jobs, those with children at home, individuals residing in small towns, and beliefs related to the vaccine. Together, the levels explained 49.5% of the variance associated with vaccine hesitancy, and the addition to each variable layer increased the variance. This highlights the need to consider broad factors at multiple levels to enhance vaccine acceptance and uptake.