Predicting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Hong Kong: Vaccine knowledge, risks from coronavirus, and risks and benefits of vaccination.

Introduction: Hongkongers have had access to COVID-19 vaccines for about four months, but vaccination rate remains low (34.4% as of 4 July 2021). Given that vaccine uptake is vital, this study aimed to determine how vaccine-hesitant and vaccinated individuals differ. The study also examined why people choose to delay vaccination (within 1 month, within 2 months, within 3 months, 3 months or more). Material and Methods: A population-based online survey ( Results: With a vaccine hesitancy rate of 30.3%, analyses revealed that sociodemographic factors, party identification and self-reported health status had no effects on the degrees of vaccine hesitancy. While vaccine knowledge, perceived susceptibility to infection, and vaccine efficacy and safety were positive correlates of vaccine uptake, risks from vaccination and vaccine efficacy were positive correlates of vaccine hesitancy. Conclusions: Hesitancy in Hong Kong is more about vaccine efficacy and safety, and less about infection risks. Specifically, respondents expressed concerns about the particular vaccines supplied, especially BioNTech's efficacy and risks from Sinovac. While higher risk motivates longer preparation for vaccine uptake, higher levels of benefits from BioNTech could reduce hesitancy.