The state of vaccine confidence among the general public in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic brought global attention to challenges vaccination programs face in relation to public confidence and exposed important differences in vaccine acceptance worldwide-prompting renewed emphasis on monitoring of vaccine confidence. Most studies in Europe focus on the 27 European Union (EU) countries, with sparse evidence among the broader WHO European Region. This study extend coverage of vaccine confidence surveillance where such research is limited.

METHODS

Members of the general public in North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan were surveyed between June and July of 2023 (n = 1000 per country) using the Vaccine Confidence Index (VCI) to measure confidence in the safety, importance, effectiveness of vaccines and their compatibility with personal beliefs. Levels of vaccine confidence for vaccines in general as well as for the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), Human Papillomavirus (HPV), seasonal influenza (flu), and Covid-19 vaccine were assessed. Bi-variate logistic regressions explore the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and vaccine confidence in each country.

RESULTS

Across the 6 countries, the average for overall vaccine confidence was 43.7 %, lower than the 2022 EU-27 average of 49.97 %. Confidence in vaccines in general was lowest in Kazakhstan (35.5 %) and highest in Georgia (51.8 %). Confidence in specific vaccines varied greatly between the study countries, as did the levels of each dimension of confidence (perceived importance, safety, effectiveness, and compatibility with religious beliefs) and how they contributed to shaping confidence between and within each country. Relationships between socio-demographic variables were country-specific, highlighting the complexity of vaccine confidence.

CONCLUSION

With limited vaccine confidence evidence in Eastern European and Central Asian countries, more research is needed to better understand vaccine confidence levels, drivers, and trends over time. This could help inform tailored interventions to improve confidence and acceptance of existing and new vaccines.