A matter of trust: a qualitative comparison of the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Taiwan, the United States, the Netherlands, and Haiti

Chia-Wen Wang; Erik Pieter de Jong; Josemyrne Ashley Faure; Jaylynn Leigh Ellington; Chi-Hsin Sally Chen; Chang-Chuan Chan

doi:10.1080/21645515.2022.2050121

A matter of trust: a qualitative comparison of the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Taiwan, the United States, the Netherlands, and Haiti

Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2022 Nov 30;18(5):2050121. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2022.2050121. Epub 2022 Mar 29.

Authors

Chia-Wen Wang^{1

2}, Erik Pieter de Jong³, Josemyrne Ashley Faure³, Jaylynn Leigh Ellington³, Chi-Hsin Sally Chen², Chang-Chuan Chan^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Population Health Research Center, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Global Health Program, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.

Abstract

COVID-19 vaccination is an effective intervention preventing individuals from contracting SARS-CoV-2 or transmitting the virus to others. However, in many countries, vaccine hesitancy has impeded the progress of mass vaccination to reach herd immunity. This study aimed to understand the similarities and differences in the determinants of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Taiwan, the United States, the Netherlands, and Haiti. A qualitative study was conducted by face-to-face interviews with participants in Taiwan and remote online interviews with participants in the United States, the Netherlands, and Haiti. In total, 47 interviews were conducted. A reflective thematic analysis was employed to analyze the collected data. Distrust of COVID-19 vaccines was reported by the participants in all countries. A perception of a lack of necessity or urgency to be vaccinated was reported by the Taiwanese and Haitian participants. Lack of knowledge regarding COVID-19 vaccines was reported by the Taiwanese, U.S. and Haitian participants, contributing to hesitation or refusal to vaccination. Regarding misinformation and rumors, misinformation was found among a few Taiwanese and Dutch participants. Additionally, rumors concerning COVID-19 vaccines were mentioned by the Dutch and Haitian participants. Furthermore, a lack of verified information was reported by the participants in all four countries. Overall, the current study suggests that vaccine hesitancy exists among participants in Taiwan, the United States, the Netherlands, and Haiti. Building trust in the COVID-19 vaccine, cultivating vaccine literacy, clarifying misinformation and rumors concerning COVID-19 vaccines, and providing verified information are critical for increasing public acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Keywords: COVID-19; qualitative study; trust issues; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine literacy.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19 Vaccines
COVID-19* / prevention & control
Haiti / epidemiology
Humans
Netherlands
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
SARS-CoV-2
Taiwan
Trust
United States
Vaccination
Vaccination Hesitancy
Vaccines*

Substances

COVID-19 Vaccines
Vaccines

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Innovation and Policy Center for Population Health and Sustainable Environment (Population Health Research Center, PHRC) (MOST109-2634-F-002-044), the National Taiwan University College of Public Health from the Featured Areas Research Center Program within the framework of the Higher Education Sprout Project by the Ministry of Education (MOE) in Taiwan (grant number NTU-109 L9003), and the Ministry of Science and Technology (grant number MOST 109-2420-H-002-005). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish,or preparation of the manuscript.