The Perception and Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccines: A Cross-Sectional Study in Poland
- PMID: 33919672
- PMCID: PMC8069794
- DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9040382
The Perception and Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccines: A Cross-Sectional Study in Poland
Abstract
Vaccine hesitancy is a major threat to the success of COVID-19 vaccination programs. The present cross-sectional online survey of adult Poles (n = 1020) expressing a willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was conducted between February and March 2021 and aimed to assess (i) the general trust in different types of vaccines, (ii) the level of acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccines already in use in Poland (BNT162b2 by BioNTech/Pfizer, mRNA-1273 by Moderna and AZD1222 by Oxford/AstraZeneca) as well as eight vaccines approved outside European Union (EU) or in advanced stages of clinical trials, (iii) level of fear of vaccination against COVID-19, and (iv) main sources of information on COVID-19 vaccination. Among all major vaccine technology, the highest level of trust was observed for the mRNA platform, with a considerable number of surveyed (>20%) not aware of the existence of vaccines produced using the traditional approach (inactivated and live attenuated vaccines). The age of participants was the main factor differentiating the level of trust in a particular vaccine type. Both BNT162b and mRNA-1273 received a high level of acceptance, contrary to AZD1222. From eight vaccines unauthorized in the EU at the moment of study, the CVnCoV (mRNA; CureVac) was met with the highest level of trust, followed by Ad26.COV2.S (vector; Janssen/Johnson&Johnson) and NVX-CoV2373 (protein; Novavax). Sputnik V (vector; Gamaleya Research Institute) was decidedly the least trusted vaccine. The median level of fear (measured by the 10-point Likert-type scale) in the studied group was 4.0, mostly related to the risk of serious allergic reactions, other severe adverse events and unknown long-term effects of vaccination. Female, individuals with a lower level of education and those not seeking any information on the COVID-19 vaccines revealed a higher fear of vaccination. Experts' materials were the major source of information on COVID-19 vaccines in the studied group. The study shows the level of trust in COVID-19 vaccines can vary much across the producers while the mRNA vaccines are received with a high level of acceptance. It also emphasizes the need for effective and continuous science communication when fighting the pandemic as it may be an ideal time to increase the general awareness of vaccines.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; mRNA vaccines; vaccinations; vaccine hesitancy; vector vaccines.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Figures


Similar articles
-
Willingness to Receive the Booster COVID-19 Vaccine Dose in Poland.Vaccines (Basel). 2021 Nov 5;9(11):1286. doi: 10.3390/vaccines9111286. Vaccines (Basel). 2021. PMID: 34835217 Free PMC article.
-
Comparing the human milk antibody response after vaccination with four COVID-19 vaccines: A prospective, longitudinal cohort study in the Netherlands.EClinicalMedicine. 2022 May;47:101393. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101393. Epub 2022 Apr 18. EClinicalMedicine. 2022. PMID: 35465077 Free PMC article.
-
Comparative Effectiveness of Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) Vaccines in Preventing COVID-19 Hospitalizations Among Adults Without Immunocompromising Conditions - United States, March-August 2021.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 Sep 24;70(38):1337-1343. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7038e1. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021. PMID: 34555004 Free PMC article.
-
Tracking the COVID-19 vaccines: The global landscape.Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023 Dec 31;19(1):2191577. doi: 10.1080/21645515.2023.2191577. Epub 2023 Mar 30. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023. PMID: 36995773 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Vaccination is the most effective and best way to avoid the disease of COVID-19.Immun Inflamm Dis. 2023 Aug;11(8):e946. doi: 10.1002/iid3.946. Immun Inflamm Dis. 2023. PMID: 37647441 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, hesitancy and refusal among Iraqi Kurdish population.Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2022 Jan-Feb;16(1):10-16. Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2022. PMID: 35024029 Free PMC article.
-
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Poland-Multifactorial Impact Trajectories.Vaccines (Basel). 2021 Aug 7;9(8):876. doi: 10.3390/vaccines9080876. Vaccines (Basel). 2021. PMID: 34452001 Free PMC article.
-
Adverse effects, perceptions and attitudes related to BNT162b2, mRNA-1273 or JNJ-78436735 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines: Population-based cohort.NPJ Vaccines. 2023 Apr 24;8(1):61. doi: 10.1038/s41541-023-00657-3. NPJ Vaccines. 2023. PMID: 37095137 Free PMC article.
-
The Course of COVID-19 among Unvaccinated Patients-Data from the National Hospital in Warsaw, Poland.Vaccines (Basel). 2023 Mar 16;11(3):675. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11030675. Vaccines (Basel). 2023. PMID: 36992258 Free PMC article.
-
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Attitudes toward Vaccination: Representative Study of Polish Society.Vaccines (Basel). 2023 Jun 6;11(6):1069. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11061069. Vaccines (Basel). 2023. PMID: 37376458 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Rapanta C., Botturi L., Goodyear P., Guàrdia L., Koole M. Online University Teaching During and After the Covid-19 Crisis: Refocusing Teacher Presence and Learning Activity. Postdigit. Sci. Educ. 2020;2:923–945. doi: 10.1007/s42438-020-00155-y. - DOI
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Miscellaneous