The Percentage of Vaccine Hesitancy among Married Individuals in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross Sectional Study in Riyadh City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Vaccines are largely regarded as one of medicine's greatest breakthroughs, yet vaccination rates have been declining in many parts of the world in recent years. Although there are numerous contributing variables to decreased vaccination rates, it is critical to evaluate the impact of the relevant factors. Also, because we are in the midst of a sad epidemic and vaccination for COVID-19 is critical to maintaining public health and limiting the virus's spread, there is a risk of vaccine rejection on the horizon. METHODS: Five hundred and fourteen married Riyadh inhabitants aged 18 years and over were issued an online Web-based survey. The research took place from June to October 2020. The study calculates the percentage of vaccination apprehension and analyzes immunization attitudes and knowledge. It also contrasts the participants' attitudes regarding vaccines before and during the COVID-19 global pandemic, as well as the associated causes for vaccine reluctance and rejection. RESULT: The majority of the respondents (48.1%) were between 37–47 and 26–36 years of age (37.5%). Females (80%) made up the majority of the group. Around 66.3% of participants have a bachelor's degree, and 80.8% have an average monthly income. During the pandemic, 38.5% of participants said they do not want to be vaccinated. When comparing vaccine-hesitant participants' sociodemographic characteristics, it was discovered that the percentage of vaccine-hesitant participants was significantly higher in the younger age-group (<36 years), those who had been married for more than 10 years, those with 1–3 children (p < 0.001), and those who did not work (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: The percentage of people who are hesitant to get vaccinated has grown by 5.2% from the previous level, and the level of reluctance has increased by 2.3%.