Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: Socio-Demographics, Co-Morbidity, and Past Experience of Racial Discrimination
Elena Savoia,
Rachael Piltch-Loeb,
Beth Goldberg,
Cynthia Miller-Idriss,
Brian Hughes,
Alberto Montrond,
Juliette Kayyem,
Marcia A. Testa
Affiliations
Elena Savoia
Emergency Preparedness Research Evaluation & Practice (EPREP) Program, Division of Policy Translation & Leadership Development, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 90 Smith Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Rachael Piltch-Loeb
Emergency Preparedness Research Evaluation & Practice (EPREP) Program, Division of Policy Translation & Leadership Development, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 90 Smith Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Beth Goldberg
Jigsaw, Google LLC, 82th 10th Ave, New York, NY 10024, USA
Cynthia Miller-Idriss
Center for University Excellence (CUE) and Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL), American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA
Brian Hughes
Center for University Excellence (CUE) and Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL), American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA
Alberto Montrond
Emergency Preparedness Research Evaluation & Practice (EPREP) Program, Division of Policy Translation & Leadership Development, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 90 Smith Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Juliette Kayyem
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Marcia A. Testa
Emergency Preparedness Research Evaluation & Practice (EPREP) Program, Division of Policy Translation & Leadership Development, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 90 Smith Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
The goal of this study is to explore predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, including socio-demographic factors, comorbidity, risk perception, and experience of discrimination, in a sample of the U.S. population. We used a cross-sectional online survey study design, implemented between 13–23 December 2020. The survey was limited to respondents residing in the USA, belonging to priority groups for vaccine distribution. Responses were received from 2650 individuals (response rate 84%) from all 50 states and Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and Guam. The five most represented states were California (13%), New York (10%), Texas (7%), Florida (6%), and Pennsylvania (4%). The majority of respondents were in the age category 25–44 years (66%), male (53%), and working in the healthcare sector (61%). Most were White and non-Hispanic (66%), followed by Black and non-Hispanic (14%) and Hispanic (8%) respondents. Experience with racial discrimination was a predictor of vaccine hesitancy. Those reporting racial discrimination had 21% increased odds of being at a higher level of hesitancy compared to those who did not report such experience (OR = 1.21, 95% C.I. 1.01–1.45). Communication and logistical aspects during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign need to be sensitive to individuals’ past-experience of racial discrimination in order to increase vaccine coverage.
