April 7-9, 2022 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Abstract: What Would Make You “Take Your Shot”: Identifying Motivations to Target among COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitant College Students
The severity and pervasiveness of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant push for public uptake of the three COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson) currently available in the United States. However, there is still some hesitancy in COVID-19 vaccine uptake among some subgroups, including college students. Based on preliminary data, vaccine hesitancy among college students is relatively high. This study examined a variety of antecedent factors that may influence level of vaccine hesitancy, as well as possible motivations for vaccine uptake. Using a cross-sectional study design, data were collected from a Qualtrics panel (n=200) of participants between the ages of 18-25 attending a 4-year college, and currently unvaccinated for COVID-19. Participants were classified into 3 groups based on vaccination intent (i.e., high intenders, vaccine hesitant, and low intenders). High intenders are defined as those reporting an "intent to get vaccinated in the next 3 months." Vaccine hesitant individuals are defined as those reporting "continuing to wait to get vaccinated over the next 3 months." Low intenders are defined as those reporting "little or no intent to get vaccinated in the next 6 months." Results indicate significant group differences in terms of perceived risk for COVID-19 (high intenders: M=3.24 se=.17, vaccine hesitant: M= 4.28, se=.14 , low intenders: M=4.73, se=.16), perceived response efficacy related to COVID-19 vaccines (high intenders: M=5.07 se=.23 , vaccine hesitant: M=4.41 se=.19 , low intenders: M=4.26 se=.21), and acceptance of misinformation related to COVID-19 (high intenders: M=2.53, se=.18 , vaccine hesitant: M=3.96, se=.15 , low intenders: M=4.42, se=.17) as a function of vaccination intent. All these scales were based on a 1-5 rating with higher numbers reflecting higher values. In terms of possible motivations for vaccine uptake, vaccine hesitant individuals reported they were significantly more likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine, compared to low intenders, for 2 main reasons: (1) To be able to freely participate in large social gatherings and events without restrictions, and (2) to being a good citizen contributing to overall herd immunity against COVID-19. As for barriers preventing vaccine uptake, vaccine hesitant individuals reported lower concern about: (1) Side effects related to COVID-19 vaccines, and (2) being free from governmental interference in making health decisions, compared to low intenders. Overall, this study provides data that can help inform COVID-19 vaccine message interventions aimed at enhancing college students’ overall COVID-19 vaccine uptake, particularly among the problematic subgroup of vaccine hesitant individuals (i.e., those who are continuing to wait to get vaccinated against COVID-19). This was formative research done in preparation for 2 experimental studies to test messages reflecting the aforementioned motivations to assess their effectiveness in increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake on college campuses, as well as efforts to inoculate against COVID-19 misinformation claims.