Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate COVID-19 vaccine preferences among university students using a discrete choice experiment.

Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among university students. A questionnaire containing participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and hypothetical COVID-19 vaccine choice sets was used. The mixed logit model was used to estimate students’ preferences for different levels of vaccine attributes. Simulations of vaccine acceptance rates were calculated.

Results: A total of 242 students participated in the study. 24.1% of the participants had a previous COVID-19 infection. 97.4% of the students had received a COVID-19 vaccine. Almost all of those who were vaccinated received two doses or more. 81.8% of them received the mRNA vaccine. The most frequent reasons for accepting vaccination were infection prevention and the belief that getting vaccinated is a societal responsibility to end the pandemic. 70.3% of the students agreed that COVID-19 vaccines were safe, while 89.2% agreed that vaccination contributed to herd immunity. According to the mixed logit model results, the most preferred attribute of the vaccine was effectiveness. Other attributes also affected the preferences of students in the following order of priority: frequency of severe side effects, reduction in transmission, duration of protection, origin, and type of the vaccine.

Conclusion: These findings can guide low-risk groups to accept vaccination during a pandemic. In pandemic control, the importance of community participation and sharing up-to-date information on approaches to fighting pandemics, such as vaccines, should be prioritized.

Keywords: COVID-19, vaccine, discrete choice experiment