Ethical and Practical Implications of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy among College Students: A Pilot Study

Abstract

According to WHO, one of the most effective ways to protect people against COVID-19 is with the use of vaccines. As academic institutions prepare to fully re-open in the fall of 2021 and COVID-19 vaccines being readily accessible to all ages twelve and older in the U.S., college students are also getting ready to go back to normal campus operations for traditional in-person education. This raises the need to assess students’ attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccines by identifying and addressing reasons for their hesitancy. One major threat to the impact of vaccination in preventing disease and deaths from COVID-19 is low utilization of vaccines by some groups. We conducted a pilot study and interviewed 55 undergraduate science students enrolled in summer school in 2021. The majority of the students were female, younger, Hispanic, or Latino, and at the junior or senior level. More than half of them have been vaccinated (62%) and indicated that it is important to attend classes while vaccinated (75%). While there were a variety of reasons for hesitancy ranging from lack of concern to lack of initiative, 17% of participants stated that religion played a role in their decision. Evidence-based recommendations strategies based on religion, ethical, and social implications are provided.