COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among health and social care workers during mass vaccination in Scotland

Figures & data

Table 1. HSCWs’ socio-demographic data.

Variables	N = 1189 (valid %)
Age	M = 44.09, SD = 11.48
Gender
Male	155 (13.0)
Female	1015 (85.4)
Other	19 (1.6)
Education level
High school	114 (9.6)
College	280 (23.5)
University	746 (62.7)
Other	49 (4.1)
Profession
Social and Care Workers	414 (42.1)
Nurses	248 (25.2)
Allied health professional	322 (28.6)
Doctors	39 (4.1)
Work from home
Yes	418 (35.4)
No	574 (48.6)
Sometimes	189 (16.0)
Experienced challenges in socially distancing at work
Yes	799 (67.7)
No	281 (23.8)
Maybe	101 (8.6)
Health Status
Diagnosed mental health problem	329 (27.7)
Long term physical health problem	246 (20.7)
None of these	624 (52.5)
Other	123 (10.3)
Health Difficulties that could affect ability to deal with COVID-19 virus
Chronic Lung Disease	14
Moderate to Severe Asthma	86
Acquired Heart Condition	25
Severe Obesity	47
Diabetes	47
Renal Failure	1
Liver Disease	4
Immunocompromised	32
Other	100
History of Covid-19
Previously was diagnosed but recovered	98 (8.3)
Never was diagnosed	1070 (90.5)
Currently diagnosed	14 (1.2)
Shielding history
Was advised to shield	50 (4.2)
Was never advised to shield	1134 (95.8)
Vaccine Status
Currently vaccinated	788 (66.7)
Has been offered and due to receive soon	128 (10.8)
Not vaccinated Vaccine hesitancy No hesitancies Hesitant about vaccine Emotion Positive Negative Ambivalence Risk perception	265 (22.4) 994 (83.97) 190 (16.01) 586 (49.28) 188 (15.81) 331 (27.83) M = 25.12, SD = 6.25

NB: % calculations exclude missing data.

Table 2. Bi-serial correlation of variables of socio-demographic and psychosocial variables and VH.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1. Vaccine. hesitancy	/
2. Work experience (years)	.162***	/
3. Age	.159***	.705***	/
4. Gender	.067**	.000	−.076**	/
5. Occupation	.050	.188***	.000	.120***	/
6. Risk perception	−.077**	−.123***	−.009	.022	−.149***	/
7. Positive emotion	.345***	.120***	.158***	−.106***	.022	−.205***	/
8. Negative emotion	−.341***	−.090**	−.084**	.102***	−.040	.238***	−.427***	/
9. Ambivalent. emotions	−.004	−.081**	−.140***	0.52	.033	.063*	−.612***	−.269***

* = significant at the .05 level; ** = significant at the .01 level; *** = significant at the .001 level;

Figure 1. % of HSCWs ro select emotion associated with COVID-19 vaccine.

Table 3. Regression analysis of psychosocial factors as predictors of vaccine hesitancy.

Predictors of vaccine hesitancy
	OR (95% CI)	p-value
Work experience (Years)	1.048 (1.017–1.080)	.002
Age	1.003 (0.978–1.030)	.801
Gender Education Health	.565 (.296–1.077) 1.106 (.780–1.567) .986 (.739–1.307)	.083 .573 .905
Occupation	.760 (.497–1.163)	.206
Risk perception Positive emotion Negative emotion Ambivalent emotion	1.020 (.945–1.013) .029 (.013 – .065) .781 (.383–1.591) .170 (.084 – .344)	.313 .001 .496 .001

Table 4. Reasons for VH: Categories of meaning (key categories) and associated codes (sub-codes).

Categories of meaning (key categories) and example quotes		Number (%) of comments associated with category	Associated codes (sub-codes)
1	Concern about safety (e.g., ‘not sure how safe it is to use’)	30 (22.1%)	Uncertainty as it its long term safety Concern about getting ill from it Vulnerability due to age Risk of the unknown Unsafe Fear Allergies
2	Worried about side-effects (e.g., ‘ I might get ill from having it’)	27 (19,8%)	Got ill after having it Side effects from other vaccines Bad reaction to it Adverse reaction Anaphylactic experience
3	Questioning the effectiveness of vaccine (e.g., ‘there are so many different strains I can’t see how it will help’)	19 (13,9%)	Questioning its effectiveness Questioning long term effects
4	Lack of evidence (e.g., ‘there are no outcomes from long term trials’);	14 (10.29%)	Limited science No long-term trial outcomes Mass vaccination is an experiment
5	Lack of information (e.g., no one tell us how well or for how long we will be protected”)	13 (9.5%)	Limited knowledge of vaccinations Unclear as to how it works Don’t know what is in the vaccine No transparent information
6	Scaremongering (e.g., ‘The media scares people into getting it’)	10 (7.3%)	Media creates fear Misinformation causes fear Constant bad news
7	Fertility concerns (e.g., ‘I’m trying to conceive so worried about it’)	8 (5.9%)	Worried about pregnancy Effects on fertility
8	Natural immunity (‘I don’t have any underlying health concerns so don’t feel I need it’)	6 (4.4%)	Immune to it Exposure builds immunity
9	Conspiracy theories (‘I think this has all been pre-planned’)	5 (3.7%)	Created in a lab 5 G is cause Pre-planned Lack of trust in experts
10	Pressure to accept it (‘I feel coerced into having it’)	4 (2.9%)	Pressure to promote it Coercion