Impfverhalten in Bezug auf COVID-19 („coronavirus disease 2019“)

The effectiveness of vaccination campaigns is only guaranteed if a sufficient number of people are vaccinated. Regarding the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, there are already numerous early studies on vaccination readiness. However, there is a lack of studies on actual vaccination behavior. This study aims to retrospectively measure vaccination behavior and to investigate possible correlations between various influencing factors, some of which have been little studied.

Between March and April 2023, a cross-sectional study was carried out as part of another project using an online questionnaire on 2750 people in Germany. The data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression.

Of the people surveyed, 88.5% stated that they had been vaccinated against COVID-19 at least once. The results of the multiple logistic regression indicate that mistrust of the Robert Koch Institute’s reporting negatively influences vaccination behavior, while mistrust of social media increases it. People who would potentially vote for the AfD (Alternative for Germany) had the lowest vaccination rate of all voting preferences. Belonging to a risk group shows a positive effect and a low subjective risk assessment regarding COVID-19 shows a negative effect. Finally, it was shown that the number of vaccinated people in the social network has a positive influence on individual vaccination behavior.

The results underline the importance of trust in information sources and risk assessment regarding COVID-19. New findings on social networks and AfD affinity lay the foundation for further research.