Barriers, vaccine hesitancy and attitudes towards the to the covid-19 vaccine in Türkiye

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the barriers, vaccine hesitancy and attitudes towards the to the COVID-19 vaccine in Türkiye. A cross-sectional study included 2031 people aged 18 years and older living in Türkiye. Data were collected through an online questionnaire created by the researchers in line with the literature and the Attitudes towards the COVID-19 Vaccine (ATV-COVID-19) scale. In total, 1043 participants (51.4%) defined themselves as vaccine hesitant. The most-motivating factor for vaccination was protecting self and family, while thinking that vaccines are unsafe was the most common barrier against vaccination. Compared to females, being male (OR=0.770) had a 1.3-times (1/0.770) protective effect from vaccination hesitancy, while one unit increase in the ATV-COVID-19 score (OR=0.080) was 12.5-times (1/0.080) protective. As a result of the study, it was observed that there was a high level of vaccine hesitancy due to mistrust of COVID-19 vaccines or fear of side effects. In addition, vaccine hesitancy was associated with gender and the level of attitude towards the vaccine.