The Impact of Social Media on the Acceptance of the COVID-19 Vaccine: A Cross-Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographic Presentation of the Respondents

Demographic	n (%) N=613
Sex (male)	243 (39.6)
Age group
18–25 years	220 (35.9)
26–35 years	188 (30.7)
36–45 years	140 (22.8)
46–55 years	53 (8.6)
More than 55 years	12 (2)
Level of Education
High school or lower	109 (17.8)
University level	414 (67.5)
Postgraduate degree	90 (14.7)
Employment status
Unemployed	147 (24)
Student	188 (30.7)
Government job	226 (36.9)
Private job	52 (8.5)
Monthly income
Less than 5000 Saudi Riyal (SR)	241 (39.3)
5000–8000 SR	99 (16.2)
8000–15,000 SR	164 (26.8)
More than 15,000 SR	109 (17.8)
Residence area
Rural	109 (17.8)
Urban	504 (82.2)
Have you been infected or in contact with a person infected with the emerging coronavirus during the past six months? (yes)	98 (16)

Table 2 The Perspectives of the Participants on the Social Media Impact of Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine

Question	N (%)	N (%)	N (%)	N (%)	N (%)
	Strongly Disagree	Disagree	Neutral	Agree	Strongly Agree
Social media carries wrong information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, and it should not be taken without consulting specialists	13 (2.1)	32 (5.2)	110 (17.9)	171 (27.8)	287 (46.8)
I make sure to follow medical professionals through social media to know the latest developments about the vaccine	19 (3)	33 (5.3)	114 (18.5)	178 (29)	269 (43.8)
I prefer to obtain the information directly from the competent authorities without referring to social media	12 (1.9)	35 (5.7)	106 (17.2)	145 (23.6)	315 (51.3)
I follow with interest the number of vaccine recipients through social media	48 (7.8)	70 (11.4)	143 (23.3)	169 (27.5)	183 (29.8)
Social media has increased my eagerness to take the COVID-19 vaccine	38 (6.1)	50 (8.1)	130 (21.2)	168 (27.4)	227 (37)
I share the vaccine information I get from social media with my family and friends without making sure the information is correct	154 (25.1)	128 (20.8)	117 (19)	101 (16.4)	113 (18.4)
I advise others to follow social media constantly to know the latest developments about the vaccine in the future	60 (9.7)	69 (11.2)	185 (30.1)	149 (24.3)	150 (24.4)
Follow up with interest on social media on a daily basis regarding the latest developments in the COVID-19 vaccine	54 (8.8)	74 (12)	155 (25.2)	161 (26.2)	169 (27.5)
The amount and quality of information on social media negatively affects my psychological state	64 (10.4)	86 (14)	157 (25.6)	134 (21.8)	172 (28)
The means of communication affect the delivery of a meaningful message to the community about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine	14 (2.2)	25 (4)	122 (19.9)	175 (28.5)	277 (45.1)

Table 3 The Questions That Measure the Attitude Toward Social Media (SM)

Questions
Social media carries wrong information regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, and it should not be taken without consulting specialists	Negative attitude to SM
I make sure to follow medical professionals through social media to know the latest developments about the vaccine	Positive attitude to SM
I prefer to obtain the information directly from the competent authorities without referring to social media	Negative attitude to SM
I follow with interest the number of vaccine recipients through social media	Positive attitude to SM
Social media has increased my eagerness to take the COVID-19 vaccine	Positive attitude to SM
I share the vaccine information I got from social media with my family and friends without making sure the information is correct	Positive attitude to SM
I advise others to follow social media constantly to know the latest developments about the vaccine in the future	Positive attitude to SM
I follow up with interest on social media on a daily basis regarding the latest developments in the COVID-19 vaccine	Positive attitude to SM
The amount and quality of information on social media negatively affects my psychological state	Negative attitude to SM

Table 4 Logistic Regression Analysis for Examining Factors Affecting the Positive Attitude Toward Social Media Regarding COVID-19

Dependent Factors	I Make Sure to Follow Medical Professionals Through Social Media to Know the Latest Developments About the Vaccine	I Follow with Interest the Number of Vaccine Recipients Through Social Media	Social Media has Increased my Eagerness to Take the COVID-19 Vaccine	I Share the Vaccine Information I Get from Social Media with my Family and Friends without Making Sure the Information is Correct	I Advise Others to Follow Social Media Constantly to Know the Latest Developments About the Vaccine in the Future	I Follow Up with Interest on Social Media on a Daily Basis Regarding the Latest Developments in the COVID-19 Vaccine
Independent actors	OR (95% CI) P-value	OR (95% CI), P-value	OR (95% CI) P-value	OR (95% CI) P-value	OR (95% CI) P-value	OR (95% CI) P-value
Sex (ref = female)	0.572 (0.382–0.856) 0.007*	0.751 (0.522–1.081) 0.123	0.679 (0.468–0.985) 0.041*	1.069 (0.733–1.559) 0.73	0.688 (0.477–0.994) 0.046*	0.789 (0.552–1.129) 0.196
Age
18–25	ref	ref	ref	ref	ref	ref
26–35 years	0.794 (0.387–1.632) 0.531	1.064 (0.555–2.039) 0.852	0.724 (0.359–1.457) 0.365	1.112 (0.569–2.172) 0.756	0.575 (0.291–1.135) 0.111	0.921 (0.476–1.783) 0.807
36–45 years	1.057 (0.479–2.331) 0.892	0.981 (0.484–1.988) 0.958	0.876 (0.408–1.883) 0.735	0.913 (0.441–1.891) 0.806	0.621 (0.296–1.302) 0.207	1.142 (0.556–2.344) 0.718
46–55 years	1.101 (0.419–2.892) 0.845	1.657 (0.684–4.018) 0.264	1.384 (0.539–3.553) 0.499	1.737 (0.726–4.155) 0.215	1.086 (0.44–2.678) 0.858	1.398 (0.584–3.345) 0.452
More than 55 years	0.33 (0.082–1.332) 0.119	0.323 (0.074–1.418) 0.134	0.628 (0.164–2.413) 0.499	0.205 (0.024–1.769) 0.149	0.547 (0.128–2.332) 0.415	0.325 (0.074–1.424) 0.136
Education level
High school or lower	ref	ref	ref	ref	ref	ref
University	0.977 (0.583–1.636) 0.929	0.753 (0.473–1.201) 0.234	0.957 (0.592–1.547) 0.858	0.546 (0.344–0.866) 0.01	0.777 (0.488–1.235) 0.285	0.837 (0.527–1.328) 0.449
Postgraduate degree	0.362 (0.172–0.761) 0.007*	0.241 (0.119–0.49) 0.001*	0.448 (0.223–0.902) 0.025*	0.331 (0.158–0.693) 0.003*	0.308 (0.149–0.638) 0.002*	0.527 (0.265–1.05) 0.069
Monthly income
Less than 5000 SR	ref	ref	ref	ref	ref	ref
5000–8000 SR	0.931 (0.529–1.638) 0.803	1.29 (0.771–2.157) 0.333	1.828 (1.036–3.226) 0.037*	1.29 (0.773–2.153) 0.33	1.918 (1.136–3.238) 0.015*	2.191 (1.288–3.728) 0.004*
8000–15,000 SR	1.101 (0.586–2.069) 0.766	0.946 (0.538–1.663) 0.848	0.853 (0.48–1.514) 0.586	0.583 (0.319–1.066) 0.08	0.616 (0.345–1.1) 0.101	0.833 (0.476–1.457) 0.522
More than 15,000 SR	0.7 (0.357–1.373) 0.3	0.793 (0.427–1.473) 0.463	0.724 (0.388–1.35) 0.31	0.459 (0.232–0.908) 0.025*	0.414 (0.217–0.79) 0.007*	0.629 (0.34–1.166) 0.141
Employment status
Unemployed	ref	ref	ref	ref	ref	ref
Student	1.341 (0.653–2.752) 0.424	1.209 (0.635–2.301) 0.564	0.748 (0.374–1.498) 0.413	0.677 (0.346–1.323) 0.254	0.556 (0.284–1.09) 0.088	0.725 (0.377–1.393) 0.334
Government job	2.108 (1.057–4.205) 0.034*	1.746 (0.933–3.268) 0.081	1.511 (0.791–2.883) 0.211	1.661 (0.866–3.186) 0.127	2.005 (1.05–3.83) 0.035*	1.231 (0.658–2.302) 0.515
Private job	1.228 (0.581–2.597) 0.591	0.814 (0.41–1.616) 0.557	1.145 (0.553–2.371) 0.716	0.869 (0.428–1.765) 0.698	0.622 (0.307–1.263) 0.189	0.604 (0.302–1.206) 0.153
Residence area (ref = rural)	0.699 (0.412–1.184) 0.183	0.819 (0.525–1.279) 0.381	0.791 (0.498–1.256) 0.32	1.546 (0.961–2.486) 0.072	1.03 (0.664–1.598) 0.896	0.76 (0.49–1.177) 0.218
Have you been infected or in contact with a person infected with the emerging corona virus during the past six months? (ref = no)	0.705 (0.433–1.147) 0.159	0.81 (0.51–1.288) 0.373	0.702 (0.442–1.116) 0.135	0.854 (0.547–1.335) 0.489	0.747 (0.462–1.208) 0.235	1.283 (0.807–2.04) 0.291

Note: *Differences were considered statistically significant when P-value <0.05.