Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine and its determinants: Evidence from a large population-based study in Bangladesh

Introduction On the verge of vaccination, the most pressing issue seems to be vaccine hesitancy. In this era of communication, Bangladeshi people may have pre-determined concerns about receiving the vaccines. Accordingly, our study attempted to understand belief, attitude, and intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine among the country’s adult population. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in all eight divisions of Bangladesh. Seven thousand three hundred fifty-seven data were collected from the adult population between January 17 and February 2, 2021, by structured questionnaires. Statistical software STATA (Version 16.1) and R (Version 4.0) programming language were used for all analyses. Results Although most of the study participants were from Dhaka division (n=2,519, 34.24%), a minimum involvement of 500 participants was ensured from each division during this study. The most common age group was ≤30 years (n=3,394, 46.18%). Almost two thirds of respondents were male (n=4,819, 65.50%) and married (n= 4,985, 67.76%). A large portion (79.85%) of people who had positive vaccine intentions believed that vaccination should be made mandatory for everyone. The majority of the respondents believed that the vaccine would work against COVID-19 infection (n=4,954, 67%). PCA and FA analyzed the association of vaccine acceptance and various socio-demographic factors. Conclusion Our study evaluated the belief, attitude, and intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Bangladesh and found some strong discussion points. The results of this study can boost vaccination programs by providing essential insights.