Objective: Vaccination is recognised as the most effective approach to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the long run. However, the global vaccination uptake is still suboptimal. Although a considerable number of studies have focused on factors influencing intention or acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination, few explore the factors that affect actual vaccination uptake. This study aimed to explore the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccination uptake among the general public in a developed country.
Design: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between June and August 2021.
Setting and participants: Community members in Hong Kong were recruited through convenient and snowball sampling to complete an anonymous online survey.
Outcome measures: The outcomes of this study included participants' sociodemographic characteristics, vaccination status and perceived impact of COVID-19, and their attitudes towards COVID-19.
Results: A total of 358 valid questionnaires were received. The results showed that 50.8% of the participants received two doses of the vaccine. Multivariable logistic regression analysis suggested that the participants' vaccination uptake was associated with their jobs affected by COVID-19, had an income source, perceived good/excellent physical health status, perceived COVID-19 exposure, perceived good/excellent knowledge of COVID-19, learnt about the vaccine from printed materials and perceived that their family members were at risk of contracting COVID-19.
Conclusions: This is one of the first few cross-sectional studies that explored factors associated with the actual vaccination uptake of the general public during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results can provide insights for formulating strategies to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in developed countries.
Keywords: COVID-19; epidemiology; infectious diseases.
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