Mandatory vaccination support and intentions to get vaccinated for COVID‐19: Results from a nationally representative general population survey in October 2020 in Greece

Abstract Objectives To explore rates and factors associated with mandatory vaccination support overall and intentions to get vaccinated specifically for COVID‐19 among individuals in Greece. Methods Using data from a nationally representative cross‐sectional survey conducted in October 2020 among 855 adults (≥18 years) in Greece, we estimated support rates for mandatory vaccination and respondents' intention to get vaccinated for COVID‐19 as well as associations thereof with individual sociodemographic, clinical and contextual characteristics. Results About 74% of respondents supported mandatory vaccination and 62% intended to get vaccinated for COVID‐19. The most prevalent reasons against COVID‐19 vaccination were safety concerns related to the duration of clinical trials and potential side effects. Individuals who reported increased trust in healthcare authorities' recommendations, who revealed that their trust in the State increased due to the way the COVID‐19 pandemic was handled, who used preventive services more often, and those with higher income were more likely to both support mandatory vaccination and to indicate intention to get vaccinated for COVID‐19. Participants with worse or better self‐reported health status (compared to average), younger adults, and females were less likely to intend to get vaccinated for COVID‐19. Conclusion The survey revealed that the majority of the Greek citizens favour mandatory vaccination overall and intend to get vaccinated for COVID‐19, driven mostly by utilization of preventive services and trust in healthcare authorities. However, intention to get vaccinated for COVID‐19 was lower relative to mandatory vaccination support. This suggests a need to intensify evidence‐based yet simplified messaging by esteemed healthcare providers to inform the public on the risks and benefits of vaccines.

[1]  Andrew L. Phillips,et al.  Interim Estimates of Vaccine Effectiveness of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 COVID-19 Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Health Care Personnel, First Responders, and Other Essential and Frontline Workers — Eight U.S. Locations, December 2020–March 2021 , 2021, MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report.

[2]  M. Lazanas,et al.  Determinants of intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 among healthcare personnel in hospitals in Greece , 2021, Infection, Disease & Health.

[3]  M. Saridi,et al.  Should vaccination be mandated? Individuals' perceptions on mandatory vaccination in Greece , 2021, Journal of evaluation in clinical practice.

[4]  V. Rapisarda,et al.  Attitudes of Healthcare Personnel towards Vaccinations before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic , 2021, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[5]  K. Gourgoulianis,et al.  Acceptability of COVID-19 Vaccination among Greek Health Professionals , 2021, Vaccines.

[6]  Malik Sallam COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Worldwide: A Concise Systematic Review of Vaccine Acceptance Rates , 2021, Vaccines.

[7]  G. Kourlaba,et al.  Willingness of Greek general population to get a COVID-19 vaccine , 2021, Global Health Research and Policy.

[8]  P. Hyland,et al.  Psychological characteristics associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and resistance in Ireland and the United Kingdom , 2021, Nature Communications.

[9]  C. Laine,et al.  COVID-19 Vaccine: Promoting Vaccine Acceptance , 2020, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[10]  S. Wong,et al.  Influenza vaccine uptake, COVID-19 vaccination intention and vaccine hesitancy among nurses: A survey , 2020, International Journal of Nursing Studies.

[11]  L. Ross,et al.  Should We Mandate a COVID-19 Vaccine for Children? , 2020, JAMA pediatrics.

[12]  P. Hotez,et al.  Correlates and Disparities of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy , 2020, SSRN Electronic Journal.

[13]  K. Farsalinos,et al.  Characteristics and risk factors for COVID-19 diagnosis and adverse outcomes in Mexico: an analysis of 89,756 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases , 2020, medRxiv.

[14]  S. McFadden,et al.  Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in the US , 2020, EClinicalMedicine.

[15]  C. Ou,et al.  Evaluating the effectiveness of national measles elimination action in mainland China during 2004-2016: A multi-site interrupted time-series study. , 2020, Vaccine.

[16]  Kai Xu,et al.  Risk factors for adverse clinical outcomes with COVID-19 in China: a multicenter, retrospective, observational study , 2020, Theranostics.

[17]  K. Kim,et al.  What Is COVID-19? , 2020, Frontiers for Young Minds.

[18]  M. Theodoridou,et al.  Vaccination of healthcare personnel in Europe: Update to current policies. , 2019, Vaccine.

[19]  M. Navin,et al.  Vaccine Mandates, Value Pluralism, and Policy Diversity , 2019, Bioethics.

[20]  C. Giaquinto,et al.  Vaccine impact: Benefits for human health. , 2016, Vaccine.

[21]  M. Theodoridou,et al.  Vaccination coverage and susceptibility against vaccine-preventable diseases of healthcare students in Athens, Greece. , 2014, Vaccine.