Vaccine hesitancy in Hong Kong
(p<0.05) and reduce the risks of COVID-19 deaths (p<0.05) are much greater. Firstly, 90.08% of the vaccinated group considered a vaccine can reduce the risks of COVID-19 hospitalization, whereas only 66.36% of the unvaccinated group answered ‘Yes’, resulting in a 23.72% difference. Sec ondly, 64.89% of the vaccinated group but just 44.55% of the unvaccinated group had the perceived effectiveness of vaccines being able to reduce the risk of death due to COVID-19, resulting in a 20.34% difference (Figure 4a). Since the difference between the vaccinated group and the unvaccinated group in the perceived effectiveness to reduce symptoms was small, the perception of the effectiveness of vaccines to reduce COVID-19 symptoms may not be a factor in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy amongst the elderly in Hong Kong. Perceived effectiveness to reduce the risk of hospitalization and perceived effectiveness to reduce the risk of death due to COVID-19 had a more obvious difference. Thus, they were deemed significant and would proceed to further evaluation. The vast majority of participants (79.3%) agreed that vaccines can reduce the risk of hospitalization. It can be seen that if people have more confidence in the effectiveness of the vaccine, they tend to get vaccinated. 90.1% of the vaccinated population believed that vaccines could reduce the risk of hospitalization, compared to just 66.4% in the unvaccinated. Subgroup analysis of the unvaccinated group was also conducted. Most of the subgroups have a wide agreement that vaccines can reduce the risk of hospitalization, with one exception, the Resistant group. Merely 33.3% of the Resistant group thought that vaccines could reduce the risk of hospitalization, compared to 66.1% in the Hesitant group and a whopping 96.3% in the Acceptant group who were planning to be vaccinated in the coming 3 months (Figure 4b). It can be seen that in general, the more acceptant people are to vaccine, the broader the consensus that vaccines can reduce the risk of hospitalization.
Figure 4b. Perceived effectiveness to reduce risks of hospitalization in vaccinated and unvaccinated groups
Unvaccinated (N=110)
(Q6) If vaccines reduce the risks of hospitalisation
Plan to Vaccine in 3 months (N=27)
Vaccinated (N=131)
No Plan of Vaccination (N=24)
Total Unvaccinated
Wait and See (N=59)
73 (66.36%)
8 (33.33%)
39 (66.10%)
26 (96.30%)
118 (90.08%)
Yes
26 (23.64%)
13 (54.17%)
13 (22.03%)
0
4 (3.05%)
No
11 (10.00%)
3 (12.50%)
7 (11.86%)
1 (3.70%)
9 (6.87%)
I don’t know
A similar observation was noted in the result of whether the respondents believe that a vaccine could reduce the risk of death due to COVID-19. 55.6% of all respondents assumed that vaccines could reduce the risk of death, 24.1% said no, and 20.3% didn’t know. 64.89% of the vaccinated group thought that vaccines were effective in reducing the risk of death due to COVID-19, whereas only 44.55% of the unvaccinated group thought so. Subgroup analysis in the unvaccinated group was also conducted and was found out that 29.2% of the Resistant group, 44.1% of the Hesitant group, and 59.3% of the Acceptant group thought that vaccine could reduce the risks of death. (Figure 4c)
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