An Analysis of the Determinants of Vaccine Hesitancy. Can the World Learn from the US Experience?

Abstract

While efforts to vaccinate the general public have been trending in a positive direction, Vaccine Hesitancy is a global issue. Many infectious disease physicians, epidemiologists, and Public Health Authorities fear that Vaccine Hesitancy will indefinitely prolong the pandemic, as the Delta Variant currently ravages through the unvaccinated population. In an attempt to understand this global phenomenon, we looked at the United States’ vaccine rollout. In particular, we examined the determinants of vaccine hesitancy in the USA. Our empirical model reveals that Vaccine Hesitancy is significantly impacted by factors such as Median Income, Political Affiliation, Percentage of population that is White/Caucasian, Total Cases, Individuals without Health Insurance, and Education level. We use data from all 50 states in the US. Policy makers in other countries can greatly benefit from the findings of our empirical results. Some incentive structures should be introduced as quickly as possible to achieve a high vaccination rate in the country.

Our goal is to use the United State’s experience of Vaccine Hesitancy as a baseline of sorts for the greater global community to understand, and reduce hesitancy in their vaccine rollouts.