Factors Associated With COVID-19 Non-Vaccination in Switzerland: A Nationwide Study

Serena Sabatini¹, Marco Kaufmann², Marta Fadda¹, Stefano Tancredi³, Nazihah Noor³, Bernadette W A Van Der Linden³, Stéphane Cullati^{3

4}, Irene Frank⁵, Gisela Michel⁶, Erika Harju^{6

7}, Chantal Luedi⁶, Anja Frei², Tala Ballouz², Dominik Menges², Jan Fehr², Philipp Kohler⁸, Christian R Kahlert^{8

9}, Victor Scheu^{10

11}, Natalia Ortega^{3

11}, Patricia Chocano-Bedoya^{3

11}, Nicolas Rodondi^{10

11}, Silvia Stringhini^{12

13

14}, Hélène Baysson^{12

13}, Elsa Lorthe¹², Maria Caiata Zufferey¹⁵, L Suzanne Suggs^{1

16}, Emiliano Albanese¹, Julia Vincentini¹⁷, Murielle Bochud¹⁷, Valérie D'Acremont¹⁷, Samira Gonseth Nusslé¹⁷, Medea Imboden^{18

19}, Dirk Keidel^{18

19}, Melissa Witzig^{18

19}, Nicole Probst-Hensch^{18

19}, Viktor von Wyl^{2

20}

Affiliations

¹ Instutite of Public Health, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
² Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
³ Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
⁴ Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁵ Clinical Trial Unit, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Lucerne, Switzerland.
⁶ Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
⁷ ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland.
⁸ Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
⁹ Children's Hospital of Eastern Switzerland, Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
¹⁰ Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
¹¹ Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
¹² Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹³ Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁴ University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
¹⁵ Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno, Switzerland.
¹⁶ Institute of Communication and Public Policy, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
¹⁷ University Centre for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
¹⁸ Swiss Tropical and Public Health (TPH) Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
¹⁹ Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
²⁰ Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

PMID: 37284510
PMCID: PMC10239801
DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605852

Factors Associated With COVID-19 Non-Vaccination in Switzerland: A Nationwide Study

Serena Sabatini et al. Int J Public Health. 2023.

. 2023 May 22:68:1605852.

doi: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605852. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Instutite of Public Health, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
² Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
³ Population Health Laboratory (#PopHealthLab), University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
⁴ Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
⁵ Clinical Trial Unit, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital, Lucerne, Switzerland.
⁶ Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
⁷ ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Winterthur, Switzerland.
⁸ Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
⁹ Children's Hospital of Eastern Switzerland, Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
¹⁰ Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
¹¹ Institute of Primary Health Care (BIHAM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
¹² Unit of Population Epidemiology, Division of Primary Care Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹³ Department of Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹⁴ University Center for General Medicine and Public Health, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
¹⁵ Department of Business Economics, Health and Social Care, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno, Switzerland.
¹⁶ Institute of Communication and Public Policy, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
¹⁷ University Centre for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
¹⁸ Swiss Tropical and Public Health (TPH) Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland.
¹⁹ Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
²⁰ Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

PMID: 37284510
PMCID: PMC10239801
DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2023.1605852

Abstract

Objectives: We compared socio-demographic characteristics, health-related variables, vaccination-related beliefs and attitudes, vaccination acceptance, and personality traits of individuals who vaccinated against COVID-19 and who did not vaccinate by December 2021. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data of 10,642 adult participants from the Corona Immunitas eCohort, an age-stratified random sample of the population of several cantons in Switzerland. We used multivariable logistic regression models to explore associations of vaccination status with socio-demographic, health, and behavioral factors. Results: Non-vaccinated individuals represented 12.4% of the sample. Compared to vaccinated individuals, non-vaccinated individuals were more likely to be younger, healthier, employed, have lower income, not worried about their health, have previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, express lower vaccination acceptance, and/or report higher conscientiousness. Among non-vaccinated individuals, 19.9% and 21.3% had low confidence in the safety and effectiveness of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, respectively. However, 29.1% and 26.7% of individuals with concerns about vaccine effectiveness and side effects at baseline, respectively vaccinated during the study period. Conclusion: In addition to known socio-demographic and health-related factors, non-vaccination was associated with concerns regarding vaccine safety and effectiveness.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; attitudes and beliefs; preventive measures; vaccination acceptance.

Copyright © 2023 Sabatini, Kaufmann, Fadda, Tancredi, Noor, Van Der Linden, Cullati, Frank, Michel, Harju, Luedi, Frei, Ballouz, Menges, Fehr, Kohler, Kahlert, Scheu, Ortega, Chocano-Bedoya, Rodondi, Stringhini, Baysson, Lorthe, Zufferey, Suggs, Albanese, Vincentini, Bochud, D’Acremont, Nusslé, Imboden, Keidel, Witzig, Probst-Hensch and von Wyl.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they do not have any conflicts of interest.

Figures

**FIGURE 1**
Flow chart of analytic samples. Corona Immunitas eCohort. Switzerland. February–December 2021.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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1. Bellino S. COVID-19 Vaccines Approved in the European Union: Current Evidence and Perspectives. Expert Rev Vaccin (2021) 20(10):1195–9. 10.1080/14760584.2021.1962304 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Mattiuzzi C, Lippi G. Primary COVID-19 Vaccine Cycle and Booster Doses Efficacy: Analysis of Italian Nationwide Vaccination Campaign. Eur J Public Health (2022) 32(2):328–30. 10.1093/eurpub/ckab220 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Federal Office of Public Health. COVID-⁠19 Switzerland (2023). Available from: https://www.covid19.admin.ch/en/overview (Accessed May 3, 2023).
1. Federal Office of Public Health. Federal Office of Public Health. Berne, Switzerland: Federal Office of Public Health; (2021). Available from: https://www.covid19.admin.ch/en/vaccination/persons.

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Factors Associated With COVID-19 Non-Vaccination in Switzerland: A Nationwide Study

Affiliations

Factors Associated With COVID-19 Non-Vaccination in Switzerland: A Nationwide Study

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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References

MeSH terms

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LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical

Miscellaneous