Reactance and perceived disease severity as determinants of COVID-19 vaccination intention: an application of the theory of planned behavior

ABSTRACT

To encourage maximum vaccination against COVID-19, determinants of vaccination intention must be identified. The present study aimed to do so through an application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). We examined variables associated with TPB, perceived severity of COVID-19, knowing someone with COVID-19 (k-COVID-19), and individual differences such as age, gender, and psychological reactance. An online survey was conducted on 551 Polish participants. Structural equation modeling was conducted on the data collected. Attitude (utility beliefs) toward COVID-19 vaccination was the strongest predictor of vaccination intention, followed by beliefs about social norms and perceived behavioral control. Older age and k-COVID-19 were associated with higher vaccination intention through perceived higher severity of infection and higher levels of all TPB components. Being a woman and having higher trait reactance were negatively related to COVID-19 vaccination intention through lower levels of all TPB components. The results show that COVID-19 vaccination intention is directly associated with all TPB components, and is related to gender, age, COVID-19-related variables, and reactance. Our results contribute to the scientific pursuit of encouraging uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine by identifying modifiable determinants that could be targeted in health campaigns.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• theory of planned behavior
• reactance
• vaccination intention
• disease severity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The dataset is available for free download from the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/t247k/?view_only=90c74a9b84cd4ac08b7eeea0f02d5598)

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here

Notes

1. https://osf.io/t247k/?view_only = 90c74a9b84cd4ac08b7eeea0f02d5598

Additional information

Funding

The research has been funded from the competition entitled ”Research on COVID-19” from the funds of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (agreement no. 22/2020).