Done

This survey took a month. This method that we used was a probability sample where the academic staff used a stratified random approach to select a sample. One advantage of this sampling method is that there is very high reliability of the research findings; also, there is increased accuracy of sampling error estimation, there is also the absence of systematic error and sampling bias. This approach also has some of its disadvantages which are that it has a higher complexity as it is compared with the non-probability sampling, it is also more time consuming, and it is typically more expensive than non-probability sampling. The study targeted 2,880 college students, but those who completed the survey were 515, and the response rate was 51.5%.

Measure

The respondents were informed that the questionnaire was no compensation for participating in the survey and that their information would remain confidential since they were not asked their names. They were also informed that the participation was strictly voluntary and that the participant may refuse to participate any time. The general attitudes towards the Covid-19 vaccine were measured through the questionnaire by asking the participants some questions that I will discuss below. Fundamental sociodemographic features and health associated data were gathered like gender ( female, male prefer not to say and Non-Binary), age group ( 18-24, 25-45, 45-64 and 65 years and above), race and ethnicity (Asian or Pacific Islander, Black or African American, Native American or Alaskan Native, Caucasian or White, Biracial or Multiracial and others). We evaluated the intent to be vaccinated for the Covid-19 with a question, "would you get vaccinated?" this question was followed by the response option "most likely get vaccinated," "unlikely get vaccinated," and "definitely not get vaccinated."

The participants who responded “unlikely get vaccinated” or “definitely not get vaccinated” were asked one of the following open-ended questions respectively: “what has had the most influence on your decision?”. The response to this question was "concerned about side effects," "I do not have enough information about the vaccines," "I saw unfavorable publications or articles about the vaccine effectiveness or its safety," and “I do not trust the government in questions associated with my health. “There were also asked this question "were you vaccinated against Covid-19?" the response to this were "yes" or "no."

We wanted to understand the attitude that people had on the Covid-19 vaccine, and another question that was asked was regarding the confidence that the participant had in the vaccine; they were asked this question "how much confidence if any, do you have that the process has generated coronavirus vaccine in America that are effective and safe?" the responses were "great deal confidence," a fair amount of confidence," and "no confidence at all." Also, the participants were provided with information on the potential for more deadly and contagious variants to develop. Also, they were informed that slow vaccination rollout contributes to the development of more deadly and contagious coronavirus variants and also reduces the effectiveness of the existing vaccine. Then they were given this information; they were asked that knowing this information, would they "definitely get vaccinated," "most likely get vaccinated," "unlikely get vaccinated," and "definitely not get vaccinated." The intention of this was to check how respondents in their attitudes toward vaccination when given context and if persuasion is possible. There also included the participant's political party affiliation where they were asked this question "what is your political party affiliation?" the responses that were provided were "republican," "democrat," or "independent."

Survey Issues

Our study was not designed to determine what additional data is required or how best we deliver it. A future study is required to describe better the kinds of assurances required and the messengers most possibly to be trusted. This survey is cross-sectional; therefore, the causal relation between attitudes towards and vaccine acceptance could not be assessed. Some of the factors that were related to vaccine acceptance, like family income, were not recorded. Response bias in favor of those who have a positive attitude towards the vaccine could have also been present. The survey was done at a time where is and was highly fluid with much more limited data on Covid-19 vaccines. Responses are, for that reason, reflective of the data that is available at the time. Another limitation of this study is that it was limited to only one country, the United States, even though prior surveys did not show any great distinctions between nations, so we can assume that the results in a national context have a broader application. Also, our questionnaire did not include all the pertinent factors mentioned in prior surveys.

References