Perception towards vaccine effectiveness in controlling COVID-19 spread in rural and urban communities: A global survey

Abstract

IntroductionSeveral studies exhibited varying reports of perception toward vaccine effectiveness, vaccine hesitancy, and acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines. As this fluctuated with evidence generation, this study explored the perception toward vaccine effectiveness in rural and urban communities among various countries.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted online from April to August 2021 using convenience sampling among people from different countries approved by the Asia Metropolitan University Medical Research and Ethics. We adapted the questionnaire from the World Health Organization's (WHO) survey tool and guidance on COVID-19. The logistic regression models were performed to show perception toward vaccine effectiveness.ResultsA total of 5,673 participants responded to the online survey. Overall, 64% of participants agreed that the vaccine effectively controlled viral spread, and 23% agreed that there was no need for vaccination if others were vaccinated. Males had 14% higher odds of believing that there was no need for vaccination. Less social media users had 39% higher odds of developing the belief that there is no need for vaccination than all other people vaccinated.ConclusionPeople's perceptions toward vaccine acceptance have fluctuated with the information flow in various social media and the severity of COVID-19 cases. Therefore, it is important that the current scenario of peoples' perception toward vaccine acceptance and determinants affecting the acceptance are explored to promote the vaccination approach against COVID-19 prevention and transmission effectively.

Perceptions of COVID-19 Vaccines: Protective Shields or Threatening Risks? A Descriptive Exploratory Study among the Italian Population

“…On the other hand, a higher number of vaccinated individuals reported trust in healthcare workers, scientific research, and pharmaceutical companies. These findings confirmed that vaccine acceptance involves trusting the providers (e.g., specific healthcare professionals and doctors) and policymakers (e.g., the health system and public researchers) [ 13 , 34 , 50 ]. Additionally, unvaccinated individuals reported that mass media and newspapers fueled their doubts about vaccination.…”

“…Thus, qualitatively investigating which factors contribute to vaccine hesitancy can assist in the planning of tailored communication campaigns and fighting public health threats. To date, most qualitative studies in the scientific literature have investigated opinions about vaccines through semi-structured interviews with open-ended responses or content analysis posted on social media [ 18 , 19 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ]. Conversely, there is a paucity of qualitative research on free associations related to the vaccine topic provided by vaccinated versus unvaccinated people.…”

“…Additionally, unvaccinated individuals reported that mass media and newspapers fueled their doubts about vaccination. In this regard, previous studies identified confusing information from mass media [ 19 ], the perception of being inadequately informed, and the incomprehensibility of information available [ 34 ] as the main reasons for refusing COVID-19 vaccines. Furthermore, unvaccinated individuals mentioned the type of vaccine as a factor influencing their attitudes toward vaccines.…”

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“…Access to various sources that hold information about vaccines, especially those providing inaccurate information, affects decision-making [ 56 ]. Some scholars have concluded that people’s perceptions of vaccine acceptance were influenced by the flow of information on various social media platforms and by the severity of COVID-19 cases [ 3 ]. A study in this context found that the more the participants were exposed to statements about the severity of post-COVID-19 vaccine side effects on social media, the more severe their own post-vaccination side effects were [ 61 ].…”

“…For example, in one study, two-thirds of the participants agreed that a vaccine effectively controlled viral spread. At the same time, one-quarter believed they did not need the vaccine if the others were vaccinated [ 3 ].…”