COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Confidence in the Philippines and Malaysia: A Cross-sectional Study of Sociodemographic Factors and Information-Seeking

Abstract

AbstractWith the emergence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, large-scale vaccination coverage is crucial to the national and global pandemic response, especially in populous Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines and Malaysia. Little is known, however, about predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccine confidence among unvaccinated individuals in these regions. An internet-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from May 2021 to September 2021. Data from a total of 2558 participants from the Philippines (N = 1002) and Malaysia (N = 1556) were analysed. Results showed that Filipino (vs. Malaysian) participants indicated higher prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (56.6 vs. 22.9%, p = 0.001). However, there were no significant differences in ratings of vaccine confidence between Filipino (45.9%) and Malaysian (49.2%) participants (p = 0.105). Predictors associated with greater vaccine hesitancy included females (p = 0.029) and rural dwellers (p = 0.015) among Filipino participants, whereas females (p = 0.004), 25-34 year olds (p = 0.027), Christians (p < 0.001), and social media use (p < 0.001) were associated with hesitancy among Malaysian participants. Predictors associated with lower confidence included females (p = 0.026) and information seeking (p < 0.001) among Filipino participants, whereas predictors associated with lower confidence among Malaysian participants included residing in a rural community (p = 0.004), Christians (p < 0.001), online information seeking (p < 0.001), and determining relevance of online information (p = 0.013). Efforts to improve uptake of COVID-19 vaccination must be centred upon targeting specific communities using local authorities and for the masses through social media. Efforts should focus on determining effective interventions to decrease vaccination hesitancy and increase the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination, particularly in light of the Dengvaxia crisis in the Philippines.