Prevalence and Potential Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Resistance in Qatar: Results from a Nationally Representative Survey of Qatari Nationals and Migrants between December 2020 and January 2021
Salma M. Khaled,
Catalina Petcu,
Lina Bader,
Iman Amro,
Aisha Mohammed H. A. Al-Hamadi,
Marwa Al Assi,
Amal Awadalla Mohamed Ali,
Kien Le Trung,
Abdoulaye Diop,
Tarek Bellaj,
Mohamed H. Al-Thani,
Peter W. Woodruff,
Majid Alabdulla,
Peter M. Haddad
Affiliations
Salma M. Khaled
Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Catalina Petcu
Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Lina Bader
Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Iman Amro
Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Aisha Mohammed H. A. Al-Hamadi
Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Marwa Al Assi
Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Amal Awadalla Mohamed Ali
Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Kien Le Trung
Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Abdoulaye Diop
Social and Economic Survey Research Institute, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Tarek Bellaj
College of Art and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Mohamed H. Al-Thani
Department of Public Health, Ministry of Public Health, Al Khaleej Street, Rumaila, Doha P.O. Box 42, Qatar
Peter W. Woodruff
Department of Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, The University of Sheffield Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
Majid Alabdulla
Department of Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha P.O Box 3050, Qatar
Peter M. Haddad
Department of Psychiatry, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha P.O Box 3050, Qatar
Global COVID-19 pandemic containment necessitates understanding the risk of hesitance or resistance to vaccine uptake in different populations. The Middle East and North Africa currently lack vital representative vaccine hesitancy data. We conducted the first representative national phone survey among the adult population of Qatar, between December 2020 and January 2021, to estimate the prevalence and identify potential determinants of vaccine willingness: acceptance (strongly agree), resistance (strongly disagree), and hesitance (somewhat agree, neutral, somewhat disagree). Bivariate and multinomial logistic regression models estimated associations between willingness groups and fifteen variables. In the total sample, 42.7% (95% CI: 39.5–46.1) were accepting, 45.2% (95% CI: 41.9–48.4) hesitant, and 12.1% (95% CI: 10.1–14.4) resistant. Vaccine resistant compared with hesistant and accepting groups reported no endorsement source will increase vaccine confidence (58.9% vs. 5.6% vs. 0.2%, respectively). Female gender, Arab ethnicity, migrant status/type, and vaccine side-effects concerns were associated with hesitancy and resistance. COVID-19 related bereavement, infection, and quarantine status were not significantly associated with any willingness group. Absence of or lack of concern about contracting the virus was solely associated with resistance. COVID-19 vaccine resistance, hesitance, and side-effects concerns are high in Qatar’s population compared with those globally. Urgent public health engagement should focus on women, Qataris (non-migrants), and those of Arab ethnicity.
