Version 1
: Received: 18 May 2023 / Approved: 19 May 2023 / Online: 19 May 2023 (04:20:44 CEST)
How to cite:
Mishi, S.; Matekenya, W.; Anakpo, G.; Tshabalala, N. COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and the Role of Information: Lessons from South Africa. Preprints.org2023, 2023051374. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.1374.v1
Mishi, S.; Matekenya, W.; Anakpo, G.; Tshabalala, N. COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and the Role of Information: Lessons from South Africa. Preprints.org 2023, 2023051374. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.1374.v1
Cite as:
Mishi, S.; Matekenya, W.; Anakpo, G.; Tshabalala, N. COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and the Role of Information: Lessons from South Africa. Preprints.org2023, 2023051374. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.1374.v1
Mishi, S.; Matekenya, W.; Anakpo, G.; Tshabalala, N. COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and the Role of Information: Lessons from South Africa. Preprints.org 2023, 2023051374. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202305.1374.v1
Abstract
Vaccine hesitancy remains a public health challenge. It has been argued that the sources of vaccine-related information may serve as important condiments to one’s decision to be vaccinated. However, little empirical attention is given to the subject. We contribute to this debate by assessing the level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the role of information explaining hesitancy, using the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality of South Africa as a case study. Findings confirm high level of vaccine hesitancy, representing 78.8 percent of the respondents (which is above the national level of 41%). Furthermore, findings reveal that vaccination decisions are influenced by family, which is the most trusted among all institutions in the society, especially on sensitive matters and those shrouded by myths and misinformation. Additionally, the majority trusts health care workers and mass media as sources of health-related and general information; however, the use of popular personalities to convey health information is not supported. The findings reveal key socio-demographic and institutional drivers of COVD-9 vaccine hesitancy, such as age, inadequate information on the vaccine, trust issues, conspiracy beliefs, vaccine-related factors, and perceived side effects associated with the vaccine. Recommendations based on the findings are provided.
Keywords
Information; Sources of information; COVID-19; Vaccine hesitancy
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Other
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
