Implications of attitudes and beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines for vaccination campaigns in the United States: A latent class analysis

October 6, 2021

Schneider KE, Dayton L, Rouhani S, Latkin CA.

Preventive Medicine Reports

Schneider et al. sought to quantify attitudes about vaccine readiness and hesitancy with an online survey among 583 English-speaking, American adults in November 2020. The sample was 81.0% white-identifying, 87.5% college-educated, and 83.0% with health insurance. Four classes of COVID-19 vaccine beliefs were identified: 28.8% were pro-vaccine and willing to be vaccinated, 27.8% were willing to be vaccinated but concerned about the speed and political influence on vaccine development, 22.6% were unsure of getting vaccinated, and 20.8% were anti-vaccine and unwilling to be vaccinated. If all groups except the anti-vaccine group were vaccinated in the sample, the sample’s vaccination status would approach 80%. To target the specific concerns of the largest group concerned with vaccine development, it is recommended to have clear, visual public health media outlining the rigorous process of COVID-19 vaccine approval. It should be expressed that although the COVID-19 vaccine approval was accelerated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the approval required the same amount of scientific evidence as prior studies. Especially due to the insular network of anti-vaccine groups, it is also recommended for the vaccinated to encourage those in their social networks to also get vaccinated.

Schneider KE, Dayton L, Rouhani S, Latkin CA. Implications of attitudes and beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines for vaccination campaigns in the United States: A latent class analysis. Prev Med Reports 2021; 24: 101584.

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