Increasing vaccination intention in pandemic times: a social marketing perspective

Philipp Wassler (), Giacomo Del Chiappa (), Thi Hong Hai Nguyen (), Giancarlo Fedeli () and Nigel L. Williams ()
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Philipp Wassler: University of Bergamo
Giacomo Del Chiappa: University of Sassari
Thi Hong Hai Nguyen: University of Greenwich
Giancarlo Fedeli: Glasgow Caledonian University
Nigel L. Williams: University of Portsmouth

Italian Journal of Marketing, 2022, vol. 2022, issue 1, No 3, 37-58

Abstract: Abstract With the release of several COVID-19 vaccines, hopes for ending the pandemic have emerged. However, the uptake of the vaccines is largely voluntary and depends on the intentions of the public. From a social marketing perspective, this study takes the case of Italy to identify and test factors that are likely to increase COVID-19-vaccine intention. A sample of 3893 respondents was collected throughout Italy and a model empirically tested by structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that a social marketing campaign for undertaking COVID-19 vaccines should educate the public, going beyond just safety and efficacy, and create positive social norms by combatting misinformation on various platforms, including social media. Furthermore, it was found that economic hardship from COVID-19 does not automatically translate to vaccination intention and that social marketing campaigns should particularly target economically vulnerable and important segments. Also, instilling a craving for travel could potentially stimulate citizens to undertake COVID-19 inoculation. Finally, contributions and implications for social marketing COVID-19 vaccines in Italy and elsewhere are addressed.

Keywords: Social marketing; COVID-19 vaccines; Vaccine marketing; Vaccination intention; Italy; Travel craving (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s43039-022-00049-w

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