Willingness of Black and White Adults to Accept Vaccines in Development: An Exploratory Study Using National Survey Data

Purpose: Explore acceptability of vaccines in development: cancer, Type II diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Lyme disease, Ebola, and obesity. Research questions: To what extent does acceptability vary by vaccine type? To what extent does acceptability of vaccines in development vary by race and other key demographics? To what extent are general vaccine hesitancy and key demographics associated with acceptability of vaccines in development? Design: Cross-sectional online survey administered through GfK’s KnowledgePanel in 2015. Analysis completed in 2020. Subjects: Nationally representative sample of Black and White American adults (n = 1,643). Measures: Willingness to accept a novel vaccine was measured on a 4-point Likert scale. Independent variables included demographics (e.g. age, race, gender) and measures of vaccine hesitancy, trust, and the “Three C’s” of vaccine confidence, complacency, and convenience. Analysis: Exploratory analysis including descriptive statistics and regression modeling. Results: Acceptability varied from 77% for a cancer vaccine to 55% for an obesity vaccine. White race, male gender, older age, having a chronic health condition, and higher socioeconomic status were associated with higher acceptability. Higher vaccine confidence and lower vaccine hesitancy were predictors for acceptability. Conclusion: The success of a vaccine depends on widespread public acceptance. Vaccine hesitancy may hinder acceptance of future vaccines, with significant differences by demographics. Future social science research is necessary to better understand and address vaccine hesitancy.