ArticleBMC public health2022
What are the reasons for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine? A qualitative analysis of social media in Germany.
Article in BMC public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2024Pooled it
- Interactive, Personalized Patient Decision Aid for COVID-19 Vaccination in Canada: User-Centered Design Approach.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- Information Pathways and Voids in Critical German Online Communities During the COVID-19 Vaccination Discourse: Cross-Platform and Mixed Methods Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Improving Nurse Participation in Project ECHO: An Institutional Analysis of Primary Health Facilities in Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania.Public health challenges · 2025Article
- Health Decisions Under Uncertainty: The Roles of Conspiracy Beliefs and Institutional Trust.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Italian Hygiene and Preventive Medicine Medical Doctor Residents' interest in a Preventive Medicine Physician: a national survey.Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene · 2025Article
- Evaluation of Douyin Short Videos on Mammography in China: Quality and Reliability Analysis.JMIR cancer · 2025Article
- Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among persons with disabilities in three selected districts of Zambia.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Vaccination readiness and political party preference in Germany: Trust, collective responsibility, and the populist radical right.PloS one · 2025Article
- What's in a word? Defining "gene therapy medicines".Molecular therapy. Methods & clinical development · 2024Article
- Covid-19 vaccination status and beliefs of individuals with co-occurring serious mental illness and alcohol use disorder.Drug and alcohol dependence reports · 2024Article
- Share If You Believe, Comment If You Doubt: The Effect of Source of Information, Trust, and Belief in Conspiracy Theories on Engagement with Facebook Posts.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- COVID-19 Pandemic and its Impact on Vaccine Hesitancy: A Review.Oman medical journal · 2024Review
- Correlates of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among the forcibly displaced: evidence from Libya.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2024Article
- Willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccines, associated factors and reasons for not taking a vaccine: a cross sectional study among persons aged 13-80 years in Wakiso, Central Uganda.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Vaccine hesitancy among physicians: a qualitative study with general practitioners and paediatricians in Austria and Germany.BMJ open · 2024Article
- Article
- Vaccine Refusal and Hesitancy among Iranians Participated in the National COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Survey: A Qualitative Study.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2024Article
- Acceptance of COVID-19 Vaccination and Vaccine Hesitancy Among People with Chronic Diseases in Thailand: Role of Attitudes and Vaccine Literacy Towards Future Implications.Patient preference and adherence · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVaccination against COVID-19 has been available in Germany since December 2020. However, about 30% of the population report not wanting to be vaccinated. In order to increase the willingness of the population to get vaccinated, data on the acceptance of vaccination and its influencing factors are necessary. Little is known about why individuals refuse the COVID-19 vaccination. The aim of this study was to investigate the reasons leading to rejecting vaccination, based on posts from three social media sites.
methodsThe German-language versions of Instagram, Twitter and YouTube were searched regarding negative attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. Data was extracted until a saturation effect could be observed. The data included posts created from January 20, 2020 to May 2, 2021. This time frame roughly covers the period from the first reports of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 up to the general availability of vaccines against COVID-19 in Germany. We used an interpretive thematic approach to analyze the data and to inductively generate codes, subcategories and categories.
resultsBased on 333 posts written by 323 contributing users, we identified six main categories of reasons for refusing a COVID-19 vaccination: Low perceived benefit of vaccination, low perceived risk of contracting COVID-19, health concerns, lack of information, systemic mistrust and spiritual or religious reasons. The analysis reveals a lack of information among users and the spread of misinformation with regard to COVID-19 and vaccination. Users feel inadequately informed about vaccination or do not understand the information available. These information gaps may be related to information not being sufficiently sensitive to the needs of the target group. In addition to limited information for the general population, misinformation on the internet can also be an important reason for refusing vaccination.
conclusionsThe study emphasizes the relevance of providing trustworthy and quality-assured information on COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination to all population groups. In addition, vaccinations should be easily accessible in order to promote the population's willingness to be vaccinated.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.