How are people's news sources, political views and trust in health authorities linked to their willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine?

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The abstract describes misinformation accompanying the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic as impairing risk perception, leading to refusal of personal protection measures and reduced willingness to receive a vaccination.

To identify factors that might influence attitudes towards COVID-19 policies and engagement in mitigation measures, the researchers carried out a cross-sectional study in Germany. A total of 808 participants completed a questionnaire covering demographics, media consumption, risk perception, trust in health authorities and willingness to receive a vaccination.

Among participants, 85.7% perceived SARS-CoV-2 as a health threat, and 63.5% said they would get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 when a vaccination was available.

A greater likelihood of vaccination intention was associated with being male (71.5% of male participants versus 60% of female participants, p < 0.05), left-wing voting, trusting health authorities and using public media as a source of COVID-19 information. In particular, perceiving COVID-19 as a health threat was associated with a greater likelihood of vaccination intention.

The researchers conclude that a better understanding of factors contributing to vaccine hesitancy is indispensable for eliminating doubts, increasing vaccination rates and creating herd immunity to stop further virus transmission.