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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04693689

Novelty, Conformity and Trust in COVID-19 Vaccines

Despite their established benefits as public measures, vaccines continue to be treated with suspicion by many people, in the US and other parts of the world (Larson et al. 2014; Olive et al. 2018; Lazarus et al. 2020). Since the success of vaccines depends on their high uptake level (Anderson and May, 1985; Fine et al. 2011; Fontanet and Cauchemez, 2020), identifying factors that influence low trust and decision-making in relation to vaccines is essential in order to combat diseases such as the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The investigators study factors that could potentially influence public's trust in COVID-19 vaccines through a large-scale online field experiment. The investigators conduct an online survey of 32,400 subjects in nine countries (USA, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Germany, and UK).

The investigators study how willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine is affected by (1) the "novelty" of the vaccine technology (conventional vs. RNA vaccines), and (2) the adoption rate of the new vaccine in the country. That is - the impact of controversial science and the force of conformity on the rates of adoption. The latter will also allow us to calculate the "tipping point" adoption rate for each country that will allow the country to achieve herd immunity from COVID-19.

The investigators have four hypotheses, below.

H1 (Conformity): People are more willing to receive a vaccine as the cumulative adoption rate in their community increases.

H2 (Novelty): People are less willing to get a COVID-19 vaccine that uses the new RNA technology, compared to a conventional vaccine

H3 (Interaction between H1 and H2): As the cumulative adoption rate in a community increases, the difference between people's willingness to adopt conventional rather than RNA vaccines decreases.

H4 (Tipping Point): Each country will have a different "tipping point". This is the cumulative adoption rate after which unvaccinated people are significantly more willing to get the vaccine. Countries that have a higher "honesty index" will have the tipping point appear at a lower cumulative adoption rate.

Please note that this study is not a clinical trial. This study is a randomized controlled trial in the form of an online survey.

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Key information

Conditions

Trust COVID-19 Coronaviridae Infections Coronavirus Infections Infections Lung Diseases Nidovirales Infections Pneumonia Pneumonia, Viral RNA Virus Infections Respiratory Tract Diseases Respiratory Tract Infections Virus Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

SurveyMonkey

San Mateo, California, 94403, United States

About this study

The investigators study the role of trust in COVID-19 vaccine through a global survey. Specifically, the investigators vary (1) the degree of vaccine innovation and (2) the adoption rate of the vaccine to test if these factors influence the individuals' willingness to receive the vaccine.

An online survey is conducted across 9 countries with 3,600 subjects per country. About 15 questions will be asked for each subject and the survey is expected to take about 10-15 minutes to complete.

The 9 countries are USA, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Germany and the UK. The three most populous countries from three major continents (Americas, Asia and Europe) are chosen. The target subjects are healthy adults over 18 years of age.

The survey instrument will consist of two parts. In the first part, the survey will ask 10 questions regarding their demographics and the general perception on the safety, effectiveness, and importance of vaccines. This part of the survey allows us to explore the relationship between the individual factors (such as age, gender or income status) and trust in COVID-19 vaccine, as well as to normalize the attitude towards COVID-19 vaccines over the overall vaccine-related confidence.

The 3 key questions of interest are:

"Suppose that a conventional vaccine for COVID-19 receives approval for human use and is available for the public.

A3. How much do you think the government should subsidize the conventional COVID-19 vaccine? [10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%]

A4. If the conventional COVID-19 vaccine were provided to you for free, how likely are you to accept the vaccination? [Very likely, somewhat likely, neither likely nor unlikely, somewhat unlikely, very unlikely]

A5. Suppose the conventional COVID-19 vaccine is endorsed by your Government, free, but no one in your country has received the vaccine. How likely would you be willing to be vaccinated with this new vaccine? [Very likely, somewhat likely, neither likely nor unlikely, somewhat unlikely, very unlikely]"

The investigators manipulate two dimensions of information between the subjects. The two dimensions are:

  • 2 vaccine types: 50% of subjects will be asked for "conventional vaccine"; 50% of subjects will be asked for "RNA vaccine"
  • 5 different levels of adoption rate in the country: 0% (i.e., no one in your country has received the vaccine), 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%

Within each country, there will be 2 (vaccine type) x 5 (different adoption rates) = 10 between-subject treatments.

In the second part of the survey, the investigators ask participants to complete a simple economic dice-rolling task, and predict outcomes of the same task in their own country. The investigators will study how individual performance in these tasks correlate with their trust in COVID-19 vaccines.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Healthy adults over 18 years old

Exclusion criteria

  • None

Treatment and study plan

RNA vaccine

Other

We elicit subjects' willingness to receive RNA COVID-19 vaccine

20% adoption rate

Other

We elicit subjects' willingness to receive the new vaccine if 20% of the country's population has received it

40% adoption rate

Other

We elicit subjects' willingness to receive the new vaccine if 40% of the country's population has received it

60% adoption rate

Other

We elicit subjects' willingness to receive the new vaccine if 60% of the country's population has received it

80% adoption rate

Other

We elicit subjects' willingness to receive the new vaccine if 80% of the country's population has received it

Conventional vaccine

Other

We elicit subjects' willingness to receive conventional COVID-19 vaccine

0% adoption rate

Other

We elicit subjects' willingness to receive the new vaccine if 0% of the country's population has received it

Primary outcomes

  1. Willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine

    Time frame: During the 15-minute survey

    Subjects' response to the question: "If the conventional COVID-19 vaccine were provided to you for free, how likely are you to accept the vaccination?" on a Likert scale from 1 (very unlikely) to 5 (very likely).

  2. Belief in how much COVID-19 vaccine should be subsidized by the government

    Time frame: During the 15-minute survey

    Subjects' response to the question: "How much do you think the government should subsidize the conventional COVID-19 vaccine?" There are 5 answer options: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100%.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Belief in importance of vaccinating children

    Time frame: During the 15-minute survey

    Subjects' response to the question: "To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: It is important for children to be vaccinated" on a Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)

  2. Belief in safety of vaccines

    Time frame: During the 15-minute survey

    Subjects' response to the question: "To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Vaccines are safe" on a Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)

  3. Belief in effectiveness of vaccines

    Time frame: During the 15-minute survey

    Subjects' response to the question: "To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Vaccines are effective" on a Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)

  4. Dishonesty index

    Time frame: During the 15-minute survey

    We ask each subject to report the outcome of a dice roll (which investigators do not observe), where the subject receives a higher pay for reporting a higher roll. We use the average reported dice roll in a group as a measure of the group's dishonesty. A higher number indicates higher degree of dishonesty. If everyone was honest, the average number should be 3.5.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National University of Singapore

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Novelty, Conformity and Trust in Vaccines

Important dates

Study start
2021
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2021
First posted
Jan 5, 2021
Registry last updated
Feb 22, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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