Revisiting the Correlation Between Vaccine Acceptance and Trust in Hospitals: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Valentina Marinescu, Darie Cristea (), Bianca Fox, Dragoș-Georgian Ilie, Anda Anca Rodideal and Ramona Marinache
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Valentina Marinescu: Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Bucharest, 010181 Bucharest, Romania
Darie Cristea: Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Bucharest, 010181 Bucharest, Romania
Bianca Fox: Centre for Academic Development and Quality, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, UK
Dragoș-Georgian Ilie: Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Bucharest, 010181 Bucharest, Romania
Anda Anca Rodideal: CMBRAE (Bucharest Municipal Center for Educational Resources and Support), 023384 Bucharest, Romania
Ramona Marinache: Department of Cultural Studies, University of Bucharest, 010017 Bucharest, Romania

Societies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: The realities of the COVID-19 pandemic and the decision to control it through a worldwide vaccination programme brought to the forefront the debates about people’s attitudes towards vaccines and vaccination in general, and people’s attitude towards COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination, in particular. This study focuses on trust in hospitals, as a predictor of Romanians’ hesitancy towards vaccination. The study utilizes a longitudinal approach, examining data from two distinct periods: 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic; and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings show that the COVID-19 pandemic has altered public attitudes towards vaccination and may also have compromised the link, considered implicit before the pandemic, between the level of trust in the medical system and favorable attitudes towards vaccination.

Keywords: COVID-19; pandemic; trust; medical system; hospitals; sociological survey (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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