In or Out? Identifying the Factors Playing a Role in Covid-19 Decision Making in Turkiye.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed at investigating the social, demographic, and economic factors affecting Covid-19 vaccine decisions before the vaccination started in Turkey. The study also aimed to understand the attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccines. METHODS: The study was conducted by exploiting the data of 693 individuals living in Turkey. The data was collected via a virtually applied questionnaire according to snowball sampling in late 2020 when the vaccination program had not started in Turkey yet. Multinomial logistic regression design was used to identify the factors affecting Covid-19 vaccine decisions. RESULTS: It was observed that Covid-19 vaccine acceptance was notably low before the vaccination started in Turkey. Further, almost 50% of the participants were indecisive about getting vaccinated. It was identified that age, gender, educational status, and residential status, as well as occupational status, the number of dependents, smoking, and the vaccination of governmental authorities, have associations with Covid-19 vaccination decisions. CONCLUSIONS: Covid-19 vaccine acceptance is generally low, although it is relatively high among vulnerable groups (i.e., the elderly and smokers), and among those who are unable to isolate themselves. In addition, the vaccination of governmental authorities is remarkably effective on Covid-19 vaccine acceptance in Turkey.