Psychological and Personality Characteristics Associated With COVID-19 Vaccination Behavior in Korean General Population

BACKGROUND: This study characterized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination behavior in the Korean general population using cluster analysis and explored related psychological factors. METHODS: We categorized 1,500 individuals based on their attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination using hierarchical clustering and identified their level of vaccine acceptance. We examined the associations between vaccine acceptance and behavioral and psychological characteristics. RESULTS: Clustering revealed three groups according to vaccine acceptance: ‘totally accepting’ (n = 354, 23.6%), ‘somewhat accepting’ (n = 523, 34.9%), and ‘reluctant’ (n = 623, 41.5%). Approximately 60% of all participants who belonged to the ‘totally accepting’ and ‘somewhat accepting’ groups were willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine despite concerns about its side effects. High vaccine acceptance was associated with older age, regular influenza vaccination, and trust in formal sources of information. Participants with high vaccine acceptance had higher levels of gratitude, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, and lower levels of depression, anxiety, and neuroticism. CONCLUSIONS: People weighed the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination against the risk of side effects when deciding to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Our findings also indicate that this vaccination behavior may be affected by coping mechanisms and psychological factors.