Sociodemographic differences in Covid-19 vaccine uptake in Denmark: a nationwide register-based cohort study

BACKGROUND: Covid-19 vaccination is the main strategy to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission, mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to examine sociodemographic differences in Covid-19 vaccine uptake among all individuals invited for Covid-19 vaccination in Denmark. METHODS: This study was designed as a nationwide register-based cohort study. The study population included all Danish residents aged 12 years or above in Denmark between December 27, 2020 and October 20, 2021. Individuals who died during the study period before receiving an invitation for Covid-19 vaccination were excluded. Associations between sociodemographic factors and Covid-19 vaccination uptake were analyzed using logistic regression models adjusting for age, sex, immigration status, educational level, disposable income and history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: The study population included 5,164,558 individuals. The overall vaccination coverage was 87.1% by October 20, 2021. In the full adjusted logistic regression models, the highest ORs for non-vaccination were observed among individuals aged 12–24 years (OR: 8.99 (95% CI: 8.76–9.23)), descendants of non-western immigrants (OR: 5.26 (95% CI: 5.18–5.33)), individuals who never had a PCR-test performed (OR: 2.93 (95% CI: 2.90–2.96)), individuals with primary school as highest completed educational level (OR: 2.87 (95% CI: 2.83–2.91)) and individuals with disposable income < 33,605 EUR (OR: 3.72 (95% CI: 3.52–3.93)). CONCLUSION: Overall, the Covid-19 vaccine uptake was high in Denmark. However, large sociodemographic differences in the vaccine uptake exist. The youngest age groups had the lowest vaccination coverage. Furthermore, the impact of the sociodemographic factors was more pronounced in the youngest age groups. The identified determinants may be used to design policies to help maximize the vaccination coverage. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-023-15301-x.