The influence of sociodemographic factors on COVID-19 vaccine certificate acceptance: A cross-sectional study

Vaccine certificates have been implemented worldwide, aiming to promote vaccination rates and to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, their use during the COVID-19 pandemic was controversial and has been criticized for infringing upon medical autonomy and individual rights. We administered a nati...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: David Smith (Author), David T. Zhu (Author), Steven Hawken (Author), A. Brianne Bota (Author), Salima S. Mithani (Author), Alessandro Marcon (Author), Gordon Pennycook (Author), Devon Greyson (Author), Timothy Caulfield (Author), Frank Graves (Author), Jeff Smith (Author), Kumanan Wilson (Author)
Format: Book
Published: Taylor & Francis Group, 2023-08-01T00:00:00Z.
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Summary:Vaccine certificates have been implemented worldwide, aiming to promote vaccination rates and to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, their use during the COVID-19 pandemic was controversial and has been criticized for infringing upon medical autonomy and individual rights. We administered a national online survey exploring social and demographic factors predicting the degree of public approval of vaccine certificates in Canada. We conducted a multivariate linear regression which revealed which factors were predictive of vaccine certificate acceptance in Canada. Self-reported minority status (p < .001), rurality (p < .001), political ideology (p < .001), age (p < .001), having children under 18 in the household (p < .001), education (p = .014), and income status (p = .034) were significant predictors of attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccine certificates. We observed the lowest vaccine-certificate approval among participants who: self-identify as a visible minority; live in rural areas; are politically conservative; are 18-34 years of age; have children under age 18 living in the household; have completed an apprenticeship or trades education; and those with an annual income between $100,000-$159,999. The present findings are valuable for their ability to inform the implementation of vaccine certificates during future pandemic scenarios which may require targeted communication between public health agencies and under-vaccinated populations.
Item Description:2164-5515
2164-554X
10.1080/21645515.2023.2220628