Public confidence in the science of the COVID-19 vaccine influences vaccine adoption in the US

The study highlights the importance of strengthening trust in health communication from public sources such as the CDC and addressing the effects of loss of information.

Education: Trust in the science behind COVID-19 vaccines as a driver of vaccine acceptance in the United States, 2021-2023. Image credit: Shutterstock AI / Shutterstock.com

In a recent study published in Injection: X, researchers are investigating how public trust in the latest vaccine technologies for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)) has changed in the United States.

How misinformation affects the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid development of vaccines has raised widespread, often confusing, discourse about their safety and effectiveness, as well as public confidence in science. Over time, public trust in science emerged as an important factor affecting vaccine uptake and willingness to accept future vaccine boosts.

The loss of a close friend or family member due to COVID-19 is a major factor influencing confidence in the science and acceptance of the vaccine, as several reports have shown how this type of loss can reduce or increase trust in vaccines and scientific institutions. This contrast highlights the deep and complex nature of trust.

Analyzing temporal changes in public belief may allow for improved communication to improve vaccine safety and rebuild trust.

About education

In the current study, researchers assess changes in public trust in the latest COVID-19 vaccine technologies. Senior citizens of the United States were recruited. A stratified random sampling was used to ensure adequate representation of the population groups.

Five categories were created for gender, age, race/ethnicity, education level, and demographics. The research was conducted between 2021 and 2023 as part of another study to examine data on the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine in 23 countries.

Several survey variables were analyzed, including age, education, gender, income, race/ethnicity, geographic location, vaccination, loss of a friend or family member due to COVID-19, hope at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a source of information about vaccines, and to trust the science of COVID-19 vaccines.

Correlations between social status and the epidemiology of trust in science were also examined using multiple regression models. A logistic regression analysis was also used to investigate the relationship between trust in science, vaccine acceptance, and future willingness to receive boosters.

Trust in the science behind vaccines was tested and compared throughout the study. Similarly, trust in the CDC as a source of information was assessed as an independent correlate on a 10-point scale.

Study findings

Within the survey group, 50.9% of the respondents were women and 35.7% were university graduates in 2023. More than 36% of the survey respondents had an income of below or above the national median, while 20.7% had no income. About 32% of respondents reported the loss of a close friend or family member due to COVID-19, 10.8% of whom reported that loss in the past year.

Trust in COVID-19 vaccine technology was reported by 63.9%, 67.2%, and 63.8% of respondents in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. These changes in annual trust estimates were not significant.

Trust in science was significantly higher among males, those with an upper-middle income, and those who graduated from university in 2023; however, trust in science was not significantly associated with race/ethnicity or age. Trust in science was significantly higher in people with a loss related to COVID-19 in the past year or more than in people without a loss.

Acceptance of the vaccine was reported by 83% of the survey participants in 2023. More than 72% of the vaccinated people expressed the intention to receive the help in the future. Vaccination acceptance remained high at 89% among people with a COVID-19-related loss of a friend or family member. In comparison, people without personal loss had lower acceptance rates, especially in 2021; However, acceptance increased over time to 80% by 2023.

Trust in the CDC as an information source was significantly related to vaccine acceptance; however, this was not a factor when adjusting for trust in vaccine technology. However, trust in the CDC as an information source was significantly related to willingness to accept future boosts, even after adjusting for trust in science.

Decisions

Although little change was seen in respondents’ confidence in the latest COVID-19 vaccine technologies, confidence was lower than previously reported global figures.

Respondents with high confidence in science were more likely to accept the vaccine and receive boosters; however, one third of the study group did not share this hope. People with more money, men and university graduates were more likely to trust vaccine science. Losing friends or family to COVID-19 is related to trust in science and, to some extent, vaccine acceptance.

Taken together, the results of the study highlight the importance of increasing scientific literacy, particularly among disadvantaged and young age groups. Additionally, trust in health communications from public sources such as the CDC must be strengthened to strengthen and maintain public trust in vaccination programs.