Determinants of Consumer Intention towards Covid Vaccination The Mediating Role Of Attitude

ABSTRACT

Covid 19 pandemic has derailed the progress made by humanity and has caused severe damage to the social and economic life of people. The only solution to prevent the loss of life has been offered in the form of vaccines. However, various countries' vaccination program has received mixed responses from the masses. With the virus refusing to subside and the threat of emergence of a new variant, and government pushing for booster dose, it becomes imperative to study the factors that shape the consumer attitude towards vaccination. The present study attempts in that direction. A detailed questionnaire was floated among five hundred respondents, out of which 404 responses were considered for the study. A theoretical model has been proposed, consisting of nine factors, out of which seven are independent variables, one is mediating variable (attitude), and the other is a dependent variable (Vaccine Intention). In addition to the previously studied factor, the study proposes three new factors politics and policies, design of vaccination program, and introduction of new vaccines. The results indicate that social media presence, government policies, previous vaccination experience, safety and transparency in the design of vaccination programs, knowledge of vaccines, and health benefits associated with them play a significant role in shaping the consumer intention for vaccination. The mediating role of attitude was also found to be significant for the factors. The study provides significant managerial implications regarding factors that shape the consumer attitude towards vaccination.