Vaccinating with Valor: A Risk Preventive Model to Explain Factors in Parents’ Choice to Vaccinate Their Children for COVID-19

Figures & data

Figure 1. TPB model (Ajzen, 1991, 2012).

This shows the factors in the Theory of Planned Behavior model.

Figure 2. The hypothesized model.

The model shows the measurement and structural model of this study. Each latent variable was explained by two to five observed variables, and the hypotheses between the variables were shown.

Table 1. Dimensions and items of the survey (N = 509).

Model Dimension	Item		α	M	SD
systematic risk information processing	sys_1	I thought about what actions I myself might take based on what I read.	.90	3.63	.93
	sys_2	I found myself making connections between the message and what I’ve read or heard about elsewhere.
	sys_3	I tried to think about the importance of the information in my daily life.
	sys_4	I thought about how the message related to other things I know.
	sys_5	I tried to relate the ideas in the message to my own personal experiences.
trust in science/scientists	trust_1	I trust scientists to create knowledge that is unbiased and accurate.	.93	3.51	1.07
	trust_2	I trust scientists to create knowledge that is useful.
	trust_3	I trust scientists to advise government officials on policy.
	trust_4	I trust scientists to inform the public on important issues.
concern about COVID-19 (6-point scale)	conc_1	How concerned are you currently about being personally at risk of contracting COVID-19?	.95	3.69	1.60
	conc_2	How concerned are you currently about your loved ones being at risk of contracting COVID-19?
	conc_3	How concerned are you currently about coming into contact with a person infected by COVID-19?
	conc_4	How concerned are you currently about dying from COVID-19?
	conc_5	How concerned are you currently about loved ones dying from COVID-19?
cognitive structure	CS_1	Giving the COVID-19 vaccine to my children is my responsibility and obligation toward other people.	.95	3.13	1.30
	CS_2	Giving the COVID-19 vaccine to my children is my responsibility to society.
	CS_3	Giving the COVID-19 vaccine to my children would feel like making a personal contribution to something better.
	CS_4	Giving the COVID-19 vaccine to my children would feel like the morally right thing.
	CS_5	Giving the COVID-19 vaccine to my children would make me feel like a better person.
normative belief structure	NBS_1	My family members think I should give the COVID-19 Vaccine to my children.	.91	3.07	1.23
	NBS_2	My friends think I should give the COVID-19 Vaccine to my children.
	NBS_3	My colleagues think I should give the COVID-19 Vaccine to my children.
subjective norm	SN_1	When it comes to giving the COVID-19 Vaccine to my children, I want to do what my family members think I should do.	.91	2.48	1.22
	SN_2	When it comes to giving the COVID-19 Vaccine to my children, I want to do what my friends think I should do.
	SN_3	When it comes to giving the COVID-19 Vaccine to my children, I want to do what my colleagues think I should do.
attitude toward acts	ATT_1	I feel positive when I think about giving my children the COVID-19 vaccine.	.95	3.12	1.46
	ATT_2	The COVID-19 vaccine is good for my child’s health.
perceived behavioral control	PBC	For me, giving my child the COVID-19 vaccine is an easy choice.		3.01	1.54
behavioral intention (3-point scale)	INT	Do you think your children should be vaccinated for COVID-19?		2.08	.90

Table 2. The characteristics of the sample (control variables).

Demographic		n	%
gender	male	212	41.7
	female	296	58.2
	other	1	.2
residency	a farm in a rural area	35	6.9
	rural area, not a farm	187	36.7
	urban or suburban area outside of the city limits	177	34.8
	subdivision in a town or city	74	14.5
	downtown area in a city or town	36	7.1
annual family income	$ 24999 or less	108	21.2
	$ 25000 to $ 49999	154	30.3
	$ 50000 to $ 74999	104	20.4
	$75,000 to $ 149,999	106	20.8
	$ 150,000 to $ 249,999	29	5.7
	$ 250,000 or more	8	1.6
highest educational level	less than 12th grade	18	3.5
	high school graduate (includes GED)	147	28.9
	some college, no degree	104	20.4
	2-year college degree (Associate, Technical, etc.)	79	15.5
	4-year college degree (Bachelor’s, etc.)	97	19.1
	graduate or professional degree	64	12.6
political belief	very liberal	40	7.9
	liberal	72	14.1
	moderate	260	51.1
	conservative	81	15.9
	very conservative	56	11.0
political affiliation	Republican	156	30.6
	Democrat	155	30.5
	Independent	144	28.3
	Non-affiliated	54	10.6

Table 3. Results of CFA.

Dim.	item		parameters of significant test				item reliability	composite reliability	convergence reliability
		Est.	Unstd. S.E.	Std. S.E.	z-value	p-value	R-square	CR	AVE
ATT	ATT_1	.95	.00	.01	132.59	**	.90	.95	.91
	ATT_2	.96	.02	.01	142.79	**	.92
NBS	NBS_1	.88	.00	.01	71.03	**	.78	.91	.78
	NBS_2	.93	.04	.01	94.96	**	.86
	NBS_3	.83	.04	.02	50.72	**	.68
SN	SN_1	.74	.00	.02	35.50	**	.55	.92	.79
	SN_2	.97	.05	.01	126.05	**	.94
	SN_3	.94	.06	.01	105.90	**	.87
CS	CS_1	.75	.00	.02	37.31	**	.57	.95	.78
	CS_2	.88	.06	.01	77.64	**	.77
	CS_3	.93	.06	.01	127.88	**	.87
	CS_4	.93	.06	.01	132.71	**	.87
	CS_5	.91	.06	.01	103.47	**	.83
sys	sys_1	.77	.00	.02	36.40	**	.59	.90	.65
	sys _2	.76	.06	.02	35.00	**	.58
	sys _3	.81	.06	.02	44.88	**	.66
	sys _4	.85	.06	.02	54.65	**	.73
	sys _5	.85	.06	.02	54.81	**	.73
concern	conc_1	.88	.00	.01	73.46	**	.77	.95	.78
	conc _2	.89	.04	.01	79.39	**	.79
	conc _3	.93	.03	.01	112.30	**	.86
	conc _4	.87	.04	.01	69.01	**	.75
	conc _5	.85	.04	.01	62.60	**	.73
trust	trust _1	.87	.00	.01	66.89	**	.76	.93	.76
	trust _2	.85	.04	.01	59.14	**	.73
	trust _3	.87	.04	.01	67.71	**	.76
	trust _4	.89	.04	.01	76.13	**	.80

*p < .05, **p < .001.

Figure 3. Relationships between variables.

The model shows the hypotheses between the variables. Systematic risk information processing, trust in science, and concern about the pandemic positively impact their cognitive structure, which impacts their attitude toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Also, both their attitude and perceived behavioral control can positively impact their intention to vaccine their children.

Table 4. Results of SEM (direct impact).

Hypothesis	DV	IV	EST.	Unstd. S.E.	Std. S.E.	z-value	p-value
H1	CS	sys	.13	.05	.05	2.77	*
H2		trust	.36	.05	.06	6.49	**
H3		concern	.39	.03	.05	7.66	**
H4	SN	NBS	.52	.04	.04	12.37	**
H5	ATT	CS	.85	.06	.02	34.62	**
H6	intention	SN	.04	.03	.04	1.03	.30
H7		ATT	.68	.04	.05	12.98	**
H8		PBC	.20	.03	.07	3.05	*

* p < .05, **p < .001.

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

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