Preferences for COVID-19 vaccine: Evidence from India

TL;DR

This study investigates the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine preferences in India, revealing key determinants like efficacy and social influence, with heterogeneity in preferences including a notable segment favoring foreign vaccines.

Contribution

It provides novel insights into vaccine preference heterogeneity and the impact of social networks on vaccine demand in India.

Findings

Vaccine efficacy and side effects significantly influence demand.

Approximately 30% prefer foreign-developed vaccines.

15% of respondents are highly sensitive to social vaccination rates.

Abstract

India's mass vaccination efforts have been slow due to high levels of vaccine hesitancy. This study uses data from an online discrete choice experiment with 1371 respondents to rigorously examine the factors shaping vaccine preference in the country. We find that vaccine efficacy, presence of side effects, protection duration, distance to vaccination centre and vaccination rates within social networks play a critical role in determining vaccine demand. We apply a non-parametric model to uncover the heterogeneity in the effects of these factors. We derive two novel insights from this analysis. First, even though, on average, domestically developed vaccines are preferred, around 30 percent of the sample favours foreign-developed vaccines. Second, the vaccine preference of around 15 percent of the sample is highly sensitive to the presence of side effects and vaccination uptake among their peer group. These results provide insights into the ongoing policy debate around vaccine adoption in India.