Preference of young adults for COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom: a discrete choice experiment

Abstract

Copyright © 2023 The Author(s).2023. Objectives: To determine preferences for COVID-19 vaccinations in the young adult population in the United Kingdom (UK).

Method: A discrete choice experiment survey was conducted in UK young adults. Participants were asked to choose between two hypothetical vaccines the one they preferred the most. Vaccines were defined by five attributes (effectiveness, risk of side effects, duration of protection, number of doses, confidence in available evidence), identified following a systematic literature review and qualitative interviews with 13 young adults. A random parameters logit model, a latent class model, and subgroup analyses were used to identify preferences.

Results: One hundred and forty-nine respondents were included (70% women, mean age 23 years). All five attributes significantly influenced respondents’ vaccination decisions. Respondents valued higher effectiveness, lower risk of side effects, longer protection duration, and a smaller number of doses. Based on the range of levels of each attribute, vaccine effectiveness was the most important attribute (relative importance 34%), followed by risk of side effects (32%), and duration of vaccine protection (22%).

Conclusions: The five investigated vaccine attributes appear to play an important role in young adults’ decision-making process. Results of this study may help health authorities designing appropriate strategies in future vaccines campaigns in the younger UK population.