Associations between Vaccination Behavior and Trust in Information Sources Regarding COVID-19 Vaccines under Emergency Approval in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

We examined the association between COVID-19 vaccination behavior and trust in COVID-19-related information sources during the initial period of COVID-19 vaccination in Japan. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in August 2021, 5 months after the start of COVID-19 vaccination for the general public under emergency approval. Participants were recruited using non-probability quota sampling from among Japanese residents who were under a declared state of emergency. Sociodemographic data, vaccination behavior, and levels of trust in eight media sources of information and three interpersonal information sources were assessed using an online survey form. A total of 784 participants completed the survey. The results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, household income, underlying medical conditions, and living with family were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccination behavior. Regarding COVID-19 vaccine information sources, trust in public health experts as a source of media information and primary care physicians as a source of interpersonal information showed significantly positive associations with COVID-19 vaccination behavior (odds ratio [OR] = 1.157, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.017–1.31; OR = 1.076; 95% CI 1.006–1.150, respectively). Increasing trust in public health experts and primary care physicians and disseminating vaccine information from these sources will help promote vaccination under emergency approval.