Dataset Information

Vaccination and altruism under the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The goal of this study is to examine the role of altruism and sensitivity to public shame in individuals' willingness to pay for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Study design

We apply expected utility theory to predict the role of individuals' altruism and public shame in the willingness to pay for vaccines. Subsequently, we test the prediction by using a unique cross-sectional survey.

Methods

We use online survey data collected from those aged 30-49 in Japan between June 18th and 25th, 2020 (n = 1686). The selection of respondents follows quota sampling with regard to age group, gender, and prefecture of residence. We employ an ordinary least square (OLS) model to regress respondents' willingness to pay for a hypothetically-effective vaccine for COVID-19 on binary indicators of altruism and sensitivity to public shame, as well as socio-demographic characteristics.

Results

The willingness to pay for the vaccine is higher among those with stronger altruistic concerns and sensitivity to shaming.

Conclusion

Voluntary vaccinations may be inefficient, because the uptake of vaccines could be low for selfish individuals who often violate social distancing requirements. To improve the efficiency of vaccine uptake, some interventions, such as nudges and a vaccine passport, may be needed.

SUBMITTER: Cato S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8750826 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Faced with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the development of COVID-19 vaccines has been progressing at an unprecedented rate. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination in China and give suggestions for vaccination strategies and immunization programs accordingly. In March 2020, an anonymous cross-sectional survey was conducted online among Chinese adults. The questionnaire collected socio-demographic characteristics, risk perception, the impact of COVID-19, attitudes, acceptance and attribute preferences of vaccines against COVID-19 during the pandemic. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the influencing factors of vaccination acceptance. Of the 2058 participants surveyed, 1879 (91.3%) stated that they would accept COVID-19 vaccination after the vaccine becomes available, among whom 980 (52.2%) wanted to get vaccinated as soon as possible, while others (47.8%) would delay the vaccination until the vaccine's safety was confirmed. Participants preferred a routine immunization schedule (49.4%) to emergency vaccination (9.0%) or either of them (41.6%). Logistic regression showed that being male, being married, perceiving a high risk of infection, being vaccinated against influenza in the past season, believing in the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination or valuing doctor's recommendations could increase the probability of accepting COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible, while having confirmed or suspected cases in local areas, valuing vaccination convenience or vaccine price in decision-making could hinder participants from immediate vaccination. During the pandemic period, a strong demand for and high acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination has been shown among the Chinese population, while concerns about vaccine safety may hinder the promotion of vaccine uptake. To expand vaccination coverage, immunization programs should be designed to remove barriers in terms of vaccine price and vaccination convenience, and health education and communication from authoritative sources are important ways to alleviate public concerns about vaccine safety.