Collective Good and Individual Choice: Perceptions on Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate Among Covid-19 Vaccinated Individuals

Introduction: Mandating COVID-19 vaccines has been contemplated as a possible but controversial solution to increase COVID-19 vaccine rates. This manuscript investigated support for a COVID-19 vaccine mandate among COVID-19-vaccinated individuals and identified differences by demographic characteristics and COVID-19 experience. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were given to COVID-19-vaccinated individuals while they were getting vaccinated to identify attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions about COVID-19 vaccination and vaccination mandates. Associations of interest were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Key Results: Approximately half of the sample was of Hispanic or Latino origin (48%); the majority of respondents identified as White (59%), followed by 12% who identified as Asian. Overall, 59% of participants supported a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Preliminary data showed significant racial differences endorsing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate (χ2 (1, n=893) = 26.7, p <.001, phi=.17); 80% of Asians supported a COVID-19 vaccination mandate compared to 50% to 57% for other racial groups. Significant differences also emerged by ethnicity (χ2 (4, n=1033) = 7.12, p =.008, phi=.08) whereby a higher percentage of Latinos (66%) supported a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Similarly, significant differences were found by age (χ2 (4, n =1045)=20.92, p<.001, phi =.21), yet no significant differences were found by sex or previous COVID-19 diagnosis.Conclusion: Support for a COVID-19 vaccination mandate is controversial among vaccinated individuals. Identifying and understanding cultural and contextual factors that underlie differences in attitudes and beliefs about COVID-19 vaccination mandates is essential to advance dialogue and inform educational health campaigns to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates.