Table 2.
Perceptions and influences of social media and peers related to COVID-19 vaccination among South Asians who completed the web-based survey in Hong Kong on May 1-31, 2021 (N=245).
| Characteristics | Values | ||||||
| Uptake of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, n (%) | |||||||
|
|
No | 164 (66.9) | |||||
|
|
Yes | 81 (33.1) | |||||
| Individual-level factors, n (%) | |||||||
|
|
Perceptions related to COVID-19 vaccination based on the Theory of Planned Behavior | ||||||
|
|
|
Positive attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination (agree) | |||||
|
|
|
|
COVID-19 vaccination is highly effective in protecting you from COVID-19 | 130 (53.1) | |||
|
|
|
|
Taking up COVID-19 vaccination is highly effective in protecting your family members against COVID-19 | 136 (55.5) | |||
|
|
|
|
Taking up COVID-19 vaccination can facilitate resumption of cross-boundary travelling | 164 (66.9) | |||
|
|
|
|
Taking up COVID-19 vaccination can contribute to the control of COVID-19 in Hong Kong | 159 (64.9) | |||
|
|
|
|
Hong Kong will have adequate supply of COVID-19 vaccination | 178 (72.7) | |||
|
|
|
|
Positive Attitude Scalea, mean (SD) | 12.7 (2.3) | |||
|
|
|
Negative attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination (agree) | |||||
|
|
|
|
COVID-19 vaccines will have severe side effects | 69 (28.2) | |||
|
|
|
|
The side effects of COVID-19 vaccines in the long run is unclear | 104 (42.4) | |||
|
|
|
|
The protection of COVID-19 vaccines will only last for a short time | 54 (22.0) | |||
|
|
|
|
It is difficult for you to register for COVID-19 vaccination | 21 (8.6) | |||
|
|
|
|
There is a lack of information related to the COVID-19 vaccination program in my mother tongue | 79 (32.2) | |||
|
|
|
|
You do not know which type of COVID-19 vaccine is the most suitable for you | 105 (42.9) | |||
|
|
|
|
Negative Attitude Scaleb, mean (SD) | 11.9 (2.3) | |||
|
|
|
Perceived subjective norm related to COVID-19 vaccination (agree) | |||||
|
|
|
|
Doctors and nurses would support you to receive COVID-19 vaccination | 121 (49.4) | |||
|
|
|
|
Your family members will support you to receive COVID-19 vaccination | 168 (68.6) | |||
|
|
|
|
Your friends from South Asia would support you to receive COVID-19 vaccination | 148 (60.4) | |||
|
|
|
|
Subjective Norm Scalec, mean (SD) | 7.4 (1.6) | |||
|
|
|
Perceived behavioral control related to COVID-19 vaccination (agree) | |||||
|
|
|
|
Receiving COVID-19 vaccination is easy for you if you want to | 188 (76.7) | |||
|
|
|
|
You are confident to receive COVID-19 vaccination in the next 6 months if you want to | 149 (60.8) | |||
|
|
|
|
Perceived Behavioral Control Scaled, mean (SD) | 5.2 (1.1) | |||
|
|
Among South Asians you know who are living in Hong Kong, how many of them have already taken up COVID-19 vaccines? | ||||||
|
|
|
0/not sure | 54 (22.0) | ||||
|
|
|
1-2 | 34 (13.9) | ||||
|
|
|
3-5 | 51 (20.8) | ||||
|
|
|
6-10 | 29 (11.8) | ||||
|
|
|
>10 | 77 (31.4) | ||||
| Interpersonal-level factors, n (%) | |||||||
|
|
Frequency of exposure to the following information related to COVID-19 vaccination on social media (sometimes/always) | ||||||
|
|
|
Positive information related to COVID-19 vaccination (eg, promising efficacy of the vaccines, new vaccines will enter the market soon) | 151 (61.6) | ||||
|
|
|
COVID-19 vaccination will cause deaths and other serious conditions | 120 (49.0) | ||||
|
|
|
Many people in Hong Kong did not turn up for their appointment to receive COVID-19 vaccination | 109 (44.5) | ||||
|
|
Influence of peers | ||||||
|
|
|
Did you hear about any South Asians who experienced serious side effects after taking up COVID-19 vaccines? | |||||
|
|
|
|
No | 188 (76.7) | |||
|
|
|
|
Yes | 57 (23.3) | |||
| Sociostructural-level factors , n (%) | |||||||
|
|
Cultural and religious reasons for COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy (agree) | ||||||
|
|
|
You are concerned about the halal status of the COVID-19 vaccines | 66 (26.9) | ||||
|
|
|
You are concerned that COVID-19 vaccines may not work well among South Asians, as they are developed by China and western countries | 54 (22.0) | ||||
|
|
|
The body is sacred; it should not receive certain chemicals or blood or tissues from animals | 61 (24.9) | ||||
|
|
|
COVID-19 should be healed by God or natural means | 54 (22.0) | ||||
|
|
|
Taking up vaccination is violating God’s will | 12 (4.9) | ||||
|
|
|
Cultural and Religious Barrier Scalee, mean (SD) | 8.3 (2.5) | ||||
| Level of confidence in Hong Kong’s health system, mean (SD) | 7.2 (2.1) | ||||||
| Level of trust of the Hong Kong government regarding COVID-19 control, mean (SD) | 7.7 (2.1) | ||||||
aPositive Attitude Scale, 5 items, Cronbach α=.77, one factor was identified by exploratory factor analysis, explaining for 52.3% of the total variance.
bNegative Attitude Scale, 6 items, Cronbach α=.61, one factor was identified by exploratory factor analysis, explaining for 47.8% of the total variance.
cSubjective Norm Scale, 3 items, Cronbach α=.60, one factor was identified by exploratory factor analysis, explaining for 56.9% of the total variance.
dPerceived Behavioral Control Scale, 2 items, Cronbach α=.63, one factor was identified by exploratory factor analysis, explaining for 73.0% of the total variance.
eCultural and Religious Barrier Scale, 5 items, Cronbach α=.65, one factor was identified by exploratory factor analysis, explaining for 42.2% of the total variance.