Why do people doubt vaccines? Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Turkey

by Ceylan Engin & S. Sena Akkoç

Why do people doubt vaccines? Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Turkey

Abstract

This study examines how COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is influenced by institutional trust, conspiracy theory beliefs, and political and religious values using novel data from the 2022 Turkish COVID-19 Values Study (TCVS). We find that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is widespread in Turkey. While 7.75% of the participants did not receive any COVID-19 vaccination, 4.51% received only one dose. Moreover, 16.09% of the population does not intend to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the future, whereas another 35.14% show indecision on this topic. Our findings demonstrate that greater belief in conspiracy theories, higher distrust in political and health institutions, and lower religiosity lead to greater COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Turkey. The results of our study imply that the national government and local municipalities need to readopt vaccine outreach efforts and disseminate trusted vaccination information in Turkey.

Full paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14683849.2024.2383668?casa_t...

Engin, Ceylan and S. Sena Akkoç. 2024. "Why do people doubt vaccines? Predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Turkey." Turkish Studies 1-20.