Demographic factors associated with acceptance, hesitancy, and refusal of COVID-19 vaccine among residents of Sukkur during lockdown: A cross sectional study from Pakistan

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization has identified vaccine hesitancy among one of the top 10 threats to global health. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has devastated global health with higher morbidities and mortality rates. Reducing vaccine hesitancy could achieve immunization. However, different sociodemographic conditions can also hamper these efforts in low- and middle-income countries. The objective of the present study was to assess the demographic factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, hesitancy, and refusal among the general Pakistani population. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted during the months of February–March 2021 during the pandemic. Sample size was 479. Snowball sampling strategy was used for data collection. Study questionnaires were distributed online using e-mail, twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. RESULT: The overall COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was 40.5%, vaccine hesitancy was 29%, and vaccine refusal was 30% among the study participants. Compared to younger, the vaccine hesitancy and refusal was higher in older people age > 30 years (χ(2) = 7.45, p = .02). Compared to males, vaccine refusal was high among females (χ(2) = 7.45, p = .02). Vaccine refusal was higher in people with less educated <12 compared to more education (χ(2) = 28.68, p < .0001). CONCLUSION: Older people, females, and less education groups are at more risk of COVID-19 infections due to vaccine hesitancy and refusal. We recommend these groups should be focused in COVID-19 vaccine education programs.