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- Title
The Psychology of COVID-19 Booster Hesitancy, Acceptance and Resistance in Australia.
- Authors
Kleitman, Sabina; Fullerton, Dayna J.; Law, Marvin K. H.; Blanchard, Matthew D.; Campbell, Rachel; Tait, Margaret-Ann; Schulz, Jennifer; Lee, Jihyun; Stankov, Lazar; King, Madeleine T.
- Abstract
COVID-19 booster vaccinations have been recommended as a primary line of defence against serious illness and hospitalisation. This study identifies and characterises distinct profiles of attitudes towards vaccination, particularly the willingness to get a booster dose. A sample of 582 adults from Australia completed an online survey capturing COVID-related behaviours, beliefs and attitudes and a range of sociodemographic, psychological, political, social and cultural variables. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) identified three subgroups: Acceptant (61%), Hesitant (30%) and Resistant (9%). Compared to the Acceptant group, the Hesitant and Resistant groups were less worried about catching COVID-19, used fewer official COVID-19 information sources, checked the news less, were lower on the agreeableness personality dimension and reported more conservatism, persecutory thinking, amoral attitudes and need for chaos. The Hesitant group also reported checking the legitimacy of information sources less, scored lower on the openness to new experiences personality dimension and were more likely than the Resistant and Acceptant groups to report regaining freedoms (e.g., travel) and work requirements or external pressures as reasons to get a booster. The Resistant group were higher on reactance, held more conspiratorial beliefs and rated their culture as being less tolerant of deviance than the Hesitant and Acceptant groups. This research can inform tailored approaches to increasing booster uptake and optimal strategies for public health messaging.
- Subjects
AUSTRALIA; HEALTH attitudes; CONSPIRACY theories; HESITATION; BOOSTER vaccines; COVID-19; WORRY
- Publication
Vaccines, 2023, Vol 11, Issue 5, p907
- ISSN
2076-393X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/vaccines11050907