Risk of disease and willingness to vaccinate in the United States: A population-based survey

Abstract

Background Vaccination complacency occurs when perceived risks of vaccine-preventable diseases are sufficiently low so that vaccination is no longer perceived as a necessary precaution. Disease outbreaks can once again increase perceptions of risk, thereby decrease vaccine complacency, and in turn decrease vaccine hesitancy. It is not well understood, however, how change in perceived risk translates into change in vaccine hesitancy. We advance the concept of vaccine propensity, which relates a change in willingness to vaccinate with a change in perceived risk of infection-holding fixed other considerations such as vaccine confidence and convenience. Methods and findings We used an original survey instrument that presents 7 vaccine-preventable "new" diseases to gather demographically diverse sample data from the United States in 2018 (N = 2,411). Our survey was conducted online between January 25, 2018, and February 2, 2018, and was structured in 3 parts. First, we collected information concerning the places participants live and visit in a typical week. Second, participants were presented with one of 7 hypothetical disease outbreaks and asked how they would respond. Third, we collected sociodemographic information. The survey was designed to match population parameters in the US on 5 major dimensions: age, sex, income, race, and census region. We also were able to closely match education. The aggregate demographic details for study participants were a mean age of 43.80 years, 47% male and 53% female, 38.5% with a college degree, and 24% nonwhite. We found an overall change of at least 30% in proportion willing to vaccinate as risk of infection increases. When considering morbidity information, the proportion willing to vaccinate went from 0.476 (0.449-0.503) at 0 local cases of disease to 0.871 (0.852-0.888) at 100 local cases (upper and lower 95% confidence intervals). When considering mortality information, the proportion went from 0.526 (0.494-0.557) at 0 local cases of disease to 0.916 (0.897-0.931) at 100 local cases. In addition, we ffound that the risk of mortality invokes a larger proportion willing to vaccinate than mere morbidity (P = 0.0002), that

COVID-19 and Influenza: Vaccination Before and During the Pandemic among the Lebanese Adult Population

“…Tendency to vaccinate was significantly lower in old age brackets compared to the younger participants (p < 0.001), and those having tertiary education representing the dominant within the pro-vaccine group. This was in contrast to the results reported by Baumgaertner et al (2020) with the older populations being more willing to vaccinate than younger.…”

Confidence and Receptivity for COVID-19 Vaccines: A Rapid Systematic Review

“…Men in general are more receptive of COVID-19 vaccines and, as evident in the literature, more inclined to adopt pharmaceutical interventions [103], including vaccination [104][105][106]. Women are more likely to worry about catching coronavirus, concerned about side effects [107], and take protective measures (e.g., masking, handwashing, and social distancing) [108,109].…”

Determinants of intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 among healthcare personnel in hospitals in Greece

“…Risk perception is crucial for vaccine decision-making. Evidence from a recently published survey that presented seven vaccine-preventable diseases in the United States revealed a significant increase in the proportion of people who intended to get vaccinated as risk of infection increased, and that increase was more pronounced when mortality was considered than mere morbidity [ 22 ]. Additional factors that may influence vaccine acceptance among HCP include knowledge, training but also the consolidation of a culture of occupation safety within healthcare facilities.…”