Beyond fear of side effects: Distrust and perceived need of COVID-19 vaccinations are salient drivers of vaccine intentions in young adults with prolonged non-adoption

Abstract

Reducing vaccine hesitancy is a critical public health priority, but it remains unclear which specific beliefs most strongly drive vaccine hesitancy. The present study compared strength of associations between several hesitant beliefs and vaccine intentions among a diverse sample of 546 young adults (Mage=21.7, representing 45 different states in the US) with prolonged non-adoption of COVID-19 vaccination (i.e., all participants were still unvaccinated several years into the pandemic). Fear of side effects and beliefs about vaccine effectiveness were not strongly associated with vaccine intentions, but distrust of COVID-19 vaccines and believing that one does not need a COVID-19 vaccine were the strongest relative predictors of vaccine intentions (i.e., inverse associations). Thus, findings highlight the need to improve trust of public health institutions and increase perceived need for vaccination as potential target points for increasing vaccine uptake among young adults with prolonged non-adoption, even beyond the COVID-19 vaccine.