3 factors predict Ebola vaccine hesitancy in the US, study finds

Anne-Marie Kommers -

Fear, trust in the government, and perceived likelihood of exposure are the three leading predictors of Americans' willingness to receive Ebola vaccinations, according to a study published July 17 in Heliyon and reported by News Medical.

 

The study's authors conducted a secondary analysis of data from a 2014 CNN/ORC poll, which asked a random selection of 1,018 adults if they would take an Ebola vaccine if and when it became available, along with other questions about participants' levels of generalized fear, trust in the government and expectancy of being exposed to Ebola.

Increased receptivity to vaccines was associated with not just fear of Ebola, but with a more generalized fear about current events in the U.S. People who trusted the U.S. government to prevent an Ebola outbreak were also more likely to say they would take the vaccination. 

Eighty percent of participants thought it was somewhat or highly likely that the U.S. would have an Ebola outbreak fairly soon. The closer they believed the outbreak could occur to their own community, the more likely they were to accept the vaccine.

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