Cited by 415Vaccine Coverage and HesitancyMisinformation and Its ImpactsCOVID-19 and Mental Health

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is associated with beliefs on the origin of the novel coronavirus in the UK and Turkey

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Salali, Gul Deniz, Uysal, Mete Sefa·2022·Psychological Medicine

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Much research effort is focused on developing an effective vaccine for combatting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Vaccine development itself, however, will not be enough given that a sufficient amount of people will need to be vaccinated for widespread immunity. Vaccine hesitancy is on the rise, varies across countries, and is associated with conspiratorial worldview. Given the rise in COVID-19-related conspiracy theories, we aimed to examine the levels of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and its association with beliefs on the origin of the novel coronavirus in a cross-cultural study. METHODS: = 3936), and gathered information on participants' willingness to vaccinate for a potential COVID-19 vaccine, beliefs on the origin of the novel coronavirus, and several behavioural and demographic predictors (such as anxiety, risk perception, government satisfaction levels) that influence vaccination and origin beliefs. RESULTS: In all, 31% of the participants in Turkey and 14% in the UK were unsure about getting themselves vaccinated for a COVID-19 vaccine. In both countries, 3% of the participants rejected to be vaccinated. Also, 54% of the participants in Turkey and 63% in the UK believed in the natural origin of the novel coronavirus. Believing in the natural origin significantly increased the odds of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: Our results point at a concerning level of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, especially in Turkey, and suggest that wider communication of the scientific consensus on the origin of the novel coronavirus with the public may help future campaigns targeting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

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  • Anxiety levels were positively associated with accepting a COVID-19 vaccination.

    “In a recent study, we showed that anxiety levels were positively associated with accepting a COVID-19 vaccination [26].”

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Authors
Salali, G. D., & Uysal, M. S.
Affiliations
Dokuz Eylül University (TR)
Venue
Psychological Medicine
Published
2020-10-18
Volume
52
Issue
15
Pages
3750-3752
ISSN
  • 0033-2917 (ISSN-L)
  • 1469-8978
OpenAlex
W3092934210
Cited by
415
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 79 · 2022: 136 · 2021: 119 · 2020: 3
FWCI
46.65
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychological Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Sussex Research Online (University of Sussex) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
Funders
British Academy
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Misinformation and Its Impacts
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
Keywords
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, vaccine acceptance, conspiracy theories, cross-cultural comparison, United Kingdom, Turkey, risk perception, government satisfaction

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