Influencing factor of COVID-19 vaccination trust and hesitancy in Wonju city, South Korea

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 17; no. 11; p. e0277016
• Main Authors: Lee, Hocheol, Noh, Eun Bi, Kim, Ji Eon, Oh, Juyeon, Nam, Eun Woo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 14-11-2022; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Age; Biology and Life Sciences; Collective efficacy; Coronaviruses; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 Vaccines; Cross-Sectional Studies; Earth Sciences; Family income; Health aspects; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health risks; Health surveys; Herd immunity; Households; Humans; Income; Medicine and Health Sciences; Norms; Parents; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; People and Places; Population; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Republic of Korea - epidemiology; Rural areas; Screening; Social aspects; Social capital (Sociology); Social networks; Social organization; Social Sciences; Trust; Vaccination; Vaccines; Republic of Korea; South Korea; United States > US
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277016

Social capital (SC) has been documented to effectively reduce the spread of diseases, including COVID-19; however, research pertaining to SC and COVID-19 vaccination in Korea is lacking. This cross-sectional study conducted in the city of Wonju, Gangwon Province, Korea (n = 1,096) examined the differences in COVID-19 vaccine trust and hesitancy considering individual characteristics and investigated the effects of SC on COVID-19 vaccine trust and hesitancy. SC was measured based on 14 items pertaining to social trust, network, and norms. Responses regarding COVID-19 screening history, vaccine trust, and vaccine hesitancy were also assessed. SC scores did not differ between sexes, but differed significantly according to age and household income; thus, adults aged 70-79 years had the highest SC scores, and mean SC score increased significantly with income. COVID-19 vaccine trust differed significantly according to age, average household income, social organization involvement, and SC score. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy differed significantly with age, SC score, and COVID-19 screening history. In univariate logistic regression, age, average household income, social organization involvement, and SC score were significant predictors of vaccine trust; in multivariable analysis, however, the identified predictors were age and SC. In particular, people with an SC score ≥50 were 2.660 times more likely to trust COVID-19 vaccines than those with lower scores. In multivariable analysis, age and SC were significant predictors of vaccine hesitancy. In particular, people with an SC score ≥50 were 1.400 times more likely not to be hesitant about receiving COVID-19 vaccines than people with lower scores. These results indicate that prioritizing policies to increase SC and trust in the government could boost the COVID-19 vaccination rate.