Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
Front Public Health. 2022 Dec 15;10:1098911. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1098911. eCollection 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on nearly all people. Vaccines provide an effective tool to combat the pandemic, however, vaccination hesitancy remains an issue. This study aims to investigate (a) students' attitudes toward the pandemic, (b) potential differences in attitudes between university students and the general population, and (c) to examine predictors of vaccination intention in both samples.
In this cross-sectional study data from two research projects were analyzed and compared. First, attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic in German university students were assessed within a cross-sectional anonymous online survey (March-April 2021, = 5,639) and analyzed quantitatively and also qualitatively (free text field answers examined positive and negative aspects of the pandemic). Second, data from a cross-sectional survey within the COVID-19 Snapshot Monitoring project (COSMO; 29 wave of data collection, December 2020, = 1,387) in the German general population was analyzed. Both samples, were compared in sharedly used variables, regarding attitudes toward the pandemic and vaccination intention, and factors associated with vaccination (logistic regression analyses).
In comparison to the general population, university students were significantly more likely to report being worried about/thinking about the coronavirus and to perceive the coronavirus as overrepresented in the media (all < 0.001). University students reported a more supportive attitude toward vaccinations in general (students: = 4.57, = 0.85; general population: = 3.92, = 1.27) and a significantly higher vaccination intention (students: = 4,438, 78.7%; general population: = 635, 47.7%) than the general population ( < 0.001). Regression analyses revealed that in university students, vaccination intention was significantly predicted by not having children, a supporting attitude toward vaccinations in general, the belief that the coronavirus is overrepresented in the media, and less thinking about/worrying about the coronavirus (all < 0.05). In the general population, vaccination intention was significantly associated with male gender, higher age, not having children, a supporting attitude toward vaccinations in general, and the belief that the coronavirus is overrepresented in the media ( < 0.05). The qualitative analysis among university students revealed that the most frequently stated positive aspect of the pandemic was to be more flexible due to digitalization ( = 1,301 statements, 22.2%) and the most frequently stated negative aspect was restriction in social life ( = 3,572 statements, 24.2%).
The results indicate differences in the attitudes toward the pandemic between university students and the general population. In addition, differences regarding factors associated with vaccination intention were found in both samples. These results could be important to be considered when designing and targeting vaccination campaigns aiming at informing different population or age groups.
DRKS00022424.
COVID-19 大流行几乎影响了所有人。疫苗为对抗大流行提供了有效工具，然而，疫苗犹豫仍然是一个问题。本研究旨在调查(a)学生对大流行的态度，(b)大学生和一般人群之间态度的潜在差异，以及(c)在两个样本中检验接种意愿的预测因素。
在这项横断面研究中，分析并比较了两个研究项目的数据。首先，在一项横断面匿名在线调查中评估了德国大学生对 COVID-19 大流行的态度（2021 年 3 月至 4 月， = 5639），并进行了定量和定性分析（对自由文本字段的回答检查了大流行的积极和消极方面）。其次，对德国一般人群中 COVID-19 快照监测项目（COSMO；2020 年 12 月第 29 波数据收集， = 1387）中的横断面调查数据进行了分析。在共同使用的变量方面，对大流行和接种意愿方面的态度以及与接种相关的因素（逻辑回归分析）比较了两个样本。
与一般人群相比，大学生更有可能报告担心/考虑冠状病毒，并认为冠状病毒在媒体中被过度报道（均 < 0.001）。大学生对一般疫苗接种的态度更为支持（学生： = 4.57， = 0.85；一般人群： = 3.92， = 1.27），接种意愿也明显更高（学生： = 4438，78.7%；一般人群： = 635，47.7%）（均 < 0.001）。回归分析显示，在大学生中，接种意愿与没有孩子、对一般疫苗接种的支持态度、认为冠状病毒在媒体中被过度报道以及较少考虑/担心冠状病毒显著相关（均 < 0.05）。在一般人群中，接种意愿与男性、较高年龄、没有孩子、对一般疫苗接种的支持态度以及认为冠状病毒在媒体中被过度报道显著相关（均 < 0.05）。对大学生的定性分析表明，大流行最常被提及的积极方面是由于数字化而更加灵活（ = 1301 项，22.2%），最常被提及的消极方面是社交生活受限（ = 3572 项，24.2%）。
研究结果表明，大学生和一般人群对大流行的态度存在差异。此外，在两个样本中，与接种意愿相关的因素也存在差异。这些结果在设计和针对不同人群或年龄组进行疫苗接种宣传时可能很重要。
DRKS00022424。
