Knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and perceived risk about COVID-19 vaccine and determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Bangladesh

TL;DR

This study assesses COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Bangladesh, revealing that 61.16% are willing to vaccinate, but many prefer delaying until safety and efficacy are confirmed, influenced by demographic and perceptual factors.

Contribution

It identifies key demographic, perceptual, and experiential factors influencing vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in Bangladesh, providing insights for targeted public health strategies.

Findings

61.16% of respondents willing to accept vaccine

Majority prefer delaying vaccination until safety confirmed

Acceptance influenced by age, gender, education, perceived risk

Abstract

A total of 605 eligible respondents took part in this survey (population size 1630046161 and required sample size 591) with an age range of 18 to 100. A large proportion of the respondents are aged less than 50 (82%) and male (62.15%). The majority of the respondents live in urban areas (60.83%). A total of 61.16% (370/605) of the respondents were willing to accept/take the COVID-19 vaccine. Among the accepted group, only 35.14% showed the willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine immediately, while 64.86% would delay the vaccination until they are confirmed about the vaccine s efficacy and safety or COVID-19 becomes deadlier in Bangladesh. The regression results showed age, gender, location (urban/rural), level of education, income, perceived risk of being infected with COVID-19 in the future, perceived severity of infection, having previous vaccination experience after age 18, having higher knowledge about COVID-19 and vaccination were significantly associated with the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines. The research reported a high prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine refusal and hesitancy in Bangladesh.