How Do People Decide on Getting Vaccinated? Evaluating the COVID-19 Vaccination Program through the Lens of Social Capital Theory

Simeon Bernados and Lanndon Ocampo
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Simeon Bernados: College of Arts and Sciences, Cebu Technological University, Cebu City 6000, Philippines
Lanndon Ocampo: Center for Applied Mathematics and Operations Research, Cebu Technological University, Cebu City 6000, Philippines

Social Sciences, 2022, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-11

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economies at a scale unprecedented in recent history, and vaccination is deemed the only option to ultimately halt its spread. However, vaccine hesitancy remains a global issue that must be addressed. If left unaddressed, it will impede the recovery of both the economy and public health following the pandemic. To better understand the issue, on the premise that individuals have layers of social ties to achieve common goals, social capital theory is proposed to examine the social connections associated with vaccine acceptance. A case study of the Republic of the Philippines’ vaccination program, in the form of an online survey involving 430 participants, was conducted using logistic binomial regression to analyze the data. Findings reveal that people’s vaccination decisions are influenced by their perceptions of their social ties regarding the vaccines, such as the perceptions one’s social ties’ trust in the vaccines, safety of use, benefits vaccines can offer, the role of media in information dissemination, and the influence of social networks. Insights regarding these findings are also discussed.

Keywords: social capital theory; vaccine acceptance; vaccine hesitancy; vaccine roll-out; immunization; COVID-19; social ties; media; social network (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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