New search completed August 17, 2021 containing 8 grey literature sources and 51 published journal articles including preprints.
Review of new search resulted in conformation of previously compiled information, relevant evidences and updates have been added to evidence table to reflect updated review.
Vaccine hesitancy was most commonly found in females and pregnant women as males generally showed greater willingness towards vaccine uptake.
Regardless of country and phase of the pandemic, there were evidences of widespread mistrust in the healthcare system and the governments with speed of vaccine development and approval. The greatest impact was seen in minority groups and people of colour.
Significant uptake of vaccination is due to the tailored recommendation of health provider in hesitant population, this has reinforced the importance of vaccination and also promoted vaccination of children with hesitant parents.
Previous vaccination has a positive influence on covid 19 vaccine uptake, (most popularly with influenza vaccine)
Higher age and underlying conditions/vulnerability to diseases along with employment and retirement had significantly lower vaccine hesitancy.
Greater financial incentives were some of the modifying of attitudes towards vaccination.
Social media and internet had mixed impact on hesitancy- restriction of certain vaccines had a direct impact on vaccination uptake whereas some reinforced confidence.
Key Findings
May 10, 2021
New search completed April 19, 2021 containing 29 grey literature sources and 128 published articles
Review of new search resulted in confirmation of previously compiled information, review update deemed not necessary at this time, relevant evidence has been added to the evidence table to reflect updated review
February 1, 2021
Vaccine hesitancy towards the COVID vaccine varies from 2% to 44% in the general population, depending on country, phase of pandemic and specific population
Vaccine hesitancy tends to be lower in healthcare workers than the general population, but still exists at rates up to 56%, again, dependent on the country of residence and phase of the pandemic
The most commonly cited reasons for vaccine hesitancy are concerns about the efficacy and safety, largely due to the expedited testing/approval process
Country of residence and corresponding trust in government/pharmaceutical industries can have a significant role in vaccine acceptance
Strategies to increase vaccine uptake should range from personal-level interventions such as patient education materials to health system level interventions such as healthcare provider training and targeted population vaccine acceptance campaigns
Jagwani, M; Badea, A; Groot, G; Mueller, M; Young, C. What are the causes of vaccine hesitancy? What programs/approaches have been successful in reducing vaccine hesitancy? 2021 Aug 17 Document no.: EOC012201v3 RR. In: COVID-19 Rapid Evidence Reviews [Internet]. SK: SK COVID Evidence Support Team, c2021. 15 p. (CEST evidence search report).