Incorporating Fuzzy Cognitive Inference for Vaccine Hesitancy Measuring

Kun Sun, Tian-Fang Zhao, Xiao-Kun Wu, Kai-Sheng Lai, Wei-Neng Chen and Jin-Sheng Zhang
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Kun Sun: School of Journalism & Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
Tian-Fang Zhao: School of Journalism & Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
Xiao-Kun Wu: School of Computer Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Kai-Sheng Lai: School of Journalism & Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China
Wei-Neng Chen: School of Computer Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China
Jin-Sheng Zhang: School of Journalism & Communication, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-18

Abstract: Vaccine hesitancy plays a key role in vaccine delay and refusal, but its measurement is still a challenge due to multiple intricacies and uncertainties in factors. This paper attempts to tackle this problem through fuzzy cognitive inference techniques. Firstly, we formulate a vaccine hesitancy determinants matrix containing multi-level factors. Relations between factors are formulated through group decision-making of domain experts, which results in a fuzzy cognitive map. The subjective uncertainty of linguistic variables is expressed by fuzzy numbers. A double-weighted method is designed to integrate the distinguished decisions, in which the subjective hesitancy is considered for each decision. Next, three typical scenarios are constructed to identify key and sensitive factors under different experimental conditions. The experimental results are further discussed, which enrich the approaches of vaccine hesitancy estimation for the post-pandemic global recovery.

Keywords: vaccine hesitancy; global recovery; group decision; fuzzy cognitive map; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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