Misconceptions about COVID-19 vaccine among adults in Saudi Arabia and their associated factors: A cross-sectional study conducted in 2021

Abstract

Background It is of utmost importance for the elements that influence public compliance with vaccination against COVID-19 to be assessed, including misconceptions, rumors, and conspiracy theories. Hence, in this study, we aimed to estimate the distribution of the most common misconceptions regarding COVID-19 vaccines and their predictors in Saudi Arabia. Methods We distributed an online questionnaire to participants aged 18 years or older. The survey included two sections. The first section comprised questions related to participants’ demographic characteristics, level of education, and their sources of information about COVID-19. The second section assessed participants’ perceptions regarding 11 of the most common misconceptions regarding COVID-19 vaccines, rated using a 5-point Likert scale. Using ordinal logistic regression, we conducted an evaluation of the relationships among different predictors including age, sex, educational level, and sources of information, as well as acceptance of misconceptions about vaccination. Results The most widely accepted misconception was that the COVID-19 vaccine had severe side effects, with 34.8% of participants believing this misinformation. Factors that were significantly associated with acceptance or non- acceptance of misconceptions were: 1) sex, with female respondents in this survey accepting rumors significantly more often than male respondents (p<0.001); 2) educational level, especially secondary school, was associated with a significantly lower acceptance of misconceptions (p=0.001). In total, 60.5% of participants used social media as their primary source of information, which was also a significant positive predictor of acceptance of misconceptions (p=0.034). Conclusion It is of critical importance to increase assurance regarding the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, the issue most likely to involve misconceptions, and to address the elements that affect belief in rumors among the population.