Vaccine-related misinformation and attitude toward COVID-19 vaccination in Japan

Abstract We have struggled with vaccine hesitancy for vaccination rollout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the spread of misinformation seems to play a role in vaccine hesitancy, the extent to which it affects attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination is unknown. Here, we investigated the prevalence of beliefs about misinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines in vaccinated and unvaccinated populations in Japan and analyzed associated risk factors. An online survey of 31,000 participants in 2021 found that 8.1% of vaccine-accepted individuals believed vaccine-related misinformation, whereas 36.6% of those who refused vaccination believed misinformation. Most factors associated with beliefs about misinformation and vaccine hesitancy overlapped, including young age, unmarried status, low income, particular information sources, and history of COVID-19 infection. Interestingly, some factors, such as age and sources of information, had different effects on vaccine acceptance between individuals who did not believe misinformation and those who did. Advanced age was associated with vaccine acceptance among non-misinformation believers. In contrast, misinformation believers in their 10s and 20s were more willing to be vaccinated than older adults. The effects of television and Internet information were stronger in individuals who believed misinformation on their attitude toward vaccination than non-misinformation believers. This study highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between beliefs about misinformation and vaccine hesitancy for ongoing and future pandemics.