Empowering Education: Addressing Vaccination Hesitancy in The Covid-19 Era

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic started in 2019 with the emergence of a new coronavirus and has greatly affected societies worldwide. It has led to an increase in mortality rates, disturbed pre-existing health conditions, disrupted educational systems, and reduced global workforce productivity and production. The scientific community has expedited vaccine development to combat the pandemic. However, the emergence of various vaccines has paradoxically resulted in a decline in public confidence, contributing to anti-vaccine sentiments. This study explores the pivotal role of education in fortifying vaccination rates and seeks to identify effective strategies to address hesitancy and strengthen public health measures. This research uses the two-stage least squares (2SLS) methodology to analyze the “Learning Loss Covid-19” cross-sectional dataset, which the World Bank published on January 4, 2023. The investigation focuses on the relationship between “Vaccination rate (per person)” and “Year of Education” across 41 countries. The empirical findings show that education has a significant impact on vaccination rates. An increase of one year in educational attainment leads to an approximate 14% increase in doses administered per person and a substantial 23% surge in the average dosage across nations. Therefore, education plays a crucial role in fortifying and elevating vaccination rates, demonstrating its significance as a potent tool in global public health endeavours.