COVID-19 Vaccination Intent and Willingness to Pay in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

• Main Authors: Russell Kabir, Ilias Mahmud, Mohammad Tawfique Hossain Chowdhury, Divya Vinnakota, Shah Saif Jahan, Nazeeba Siddika, Samia Naz Isha, Sujan Kanti Nath, Ehsanul Hoque Apu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
• Series: Vaccines
• Subjects: COVID-19 vaccine; health belief model; vaccination intent; Bangladesh
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/9/5/416

This article reports the intent to receive a SARS-COV-2 vaccine, its predictors and willingness to pay in Bangladesh. We carried out an online cross-sectional survey of 697 adults from the general population of Bangladesh in January 2021. A structured questionnaire was used to assess vaccination intent. The questionnaire included sociodemographic variables and health belief model constructs which may predict vaccination intent. Among the participants, 26% demonstrated a definite intent, 43% probable intent, 24% probable negative, and 7% a definite negative intention. Multivariable logistic regression analyses suggest an association between definite intent and previous COVID-19 infection (OR: 2.86; 95% CI: 1.71–4.78), perceiving COVID-19 as serious (OR: 1.93; 1.04–3.59), the belief that vaccination would make them feel less worried about catching COVID-19 (OR: 4.42; 2.25–8.68), and concerns about vaccine affordability (OR: 1.51; 1.01–2.25). Individuals afraid of the side effects (OR: 0.34; 0.21–0.53) and those who would take the vaccine if the vaccine were taken by many others (OR: 0.44; 0.29–0.67) are less likely to have a definite intent. A definite negative intent is associated with the concern that the vaccine may not be halal (OR: 2.03; 1.04–3.96). Furthermore, 68.4% are willing to pay for the vaccine. The median amount that they are willing to pay is USD 7.08. The study findings reveal that the definite intent to receive the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination among the general population varies depending on their COVID-19-related health beliefs and no significant association was found with sociodemographic variables.