Vaccine hesitancy in Hong Kong
correct information and false information. The ratio of the respondents who answered correctly and incorrectly widens when respondents got more vaccine hesitant. In the Hesitant group, 32.2% answered correctly and 50.9% answered incorrectly. The correct answer to incorrect answer ratio is 1: 1.58. When it came to the Resistant group, only 12.5% answered correctly, 75.0% chose the wrong answer. The correct answer to incorrect answer ratio is 1:6. Figure 5a demonstrates that while the proportion of ‘I don’t know’ remained quite constant, ranging between 11% to 16% of the group, the percentage of respondents answering the wrong answer increased from vaccinated people to unvaccinated people, and from those acceptant to vaccine to those hesitant and then to those resistant to vaccines.
Figure 5b. Knowledge of vaccines in vaccinated and unvaccinated groups
Unvaccinated (N=110)
(Q9) Can vaccines prevent transmission?
Plan to Vaccine in 3 months (N=27)
Vaccinated (N=131)
No Plan of Vaccination (N=24)
Total Unvaccinated
Wait and See (N=59)
Yes
34 (30.91%)
3 (12.50%)
19 (32.20%)
12 (44.44%)
72 (54.96%)
No
60 (54.55%)
18 (75.00%)
30 (50.85%)
12 (44.44%)
42 (32.06%)
I don’t know
16 (14.55%)
3 (12.50%)
10 (16.95%)
3 (11.11%)
17 (12.98%)
At question 9, respondents were asked if vaccines reduce the risks of transmission in order to assess their knowledge about vaccines and if there was a major misinformation. This question was asked to see if knowing vaccines prevent transmission had any effect on the decision to get vaccinated or the acceptance of the vaccines. The table above showed that theoretically, in 10 elderly people aged above 60, fewer than five of them thought that vaccines prevent transmission of COVID-19 virus. However, it was not yet sure if the respondents’ vaccination behaviour were mostly influenced by whether they know that vaccines protect their community by preventing transmission or whether they care about their community. As a result, respondents were then asked whether they would be vaccinated based on the premise that vaccines can reduce the risk of others contracting the coronavirus and thus help their community. T his question aimed to assess respondents’ sense of collective responsibility, in other words: would they choose to be vaccinated for the collective benefits to the society? (Figure 5c) Having known the correct knowledge about vaccines, a total of 74.7% of respondents were willing to be vaccinated. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated groups had a higher likelihood of vaccination if they knew that vaccines protect others. They are 86.3% and 60.9% respectively (p<0.05). Among respondents in the vaccinated group or in the Acceptant group who already knew that vaccines prevent transmission and protect others, 91.7% of them chose to be vaccinated when they were told that vaccines protect their community. For those in these two categories w ho didn’t know that vaccines prevent transmission of COVID-19, nearly the same proportion chose to be vaccinated when they were informed with the correct information. Moreover, the Hesitant group would have had a 66.1% vaccine uptake if they had been told that vaccines can protect the community by reducing the risks of transmission with 79.0% vaccine uptake amongst respondents in the subgroup who knew vaccine ’s
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