Low Response to the COVID-19 Vaccine Among the Arab Population in Israel: Is It a Cultural Background, or a Systemic Failure, or Maybe Both?

INTRODUCTION: A low response to COVID-19 vaccination was observed among the Arab population in Israel. Efforts to improve this achieved moderate results. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which demographic and cultural factors, the media, trust, perceptions, and government policies influence the willingness of Arabs to be vaccinated against COVID-19. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Israeli Arabs (558 respondents). The questionnaire was distributed through social networks between January 16 and 26, 2021. The t-tests, Chi-square tests, Z tests, which were used to evaluate the significance of variables, and Pearson correlations calculated for the study variables were used for statistical analysis. Hierarchical logistic regression was calculated to assess the extent of background influence on the odds for vaccination, and mediation was examined using the Process procedure. RESULTS: Moderate means were found for attitudes towards vaccination, vulnerability, vaccine effectiveness, and pandemic fatigue. A lower score was found for accessibility to medical services, social norms, and emotional barriers. Trust was highest in health-related authorities, whereas trust in government and the media was the lowest. Higher pandemic fatigue was associated with lower trust and lower odds for vaccination. DISCUSSION: Lack of awareness of the specific needs of the Arab minority in Israel, lack of vaccination campaigns in Arabic language, long neglect of Arabs in the Israeli health system, mistrust of governmental authorities by the Arabs, and low socioeconomic background of Israeli Arabs might have led to lower trust levels and incompliance with governmental policies among Arabs. Addressing these issues may benefit the entire population. The authors believe that “A chain (in population health) is only as strong as its weakest link.”