Prioritization preferences for COVID-19 vaccination are consistent across five countries

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Vaccinology
• Health Policy

Background:

• Global COVID-19 vaccination efforts face challenges with vaccine supply and emerging virus variants.
• Policymakers establish priority criteria for vaccine access, including age, health status, and essential jobs.
• Understanding public preferences for vaccine allocation is crucial for equitable distribution strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate public preferences regarding the allocation of limited COVID-19 vaccine doses.
• To compare public opinion with established expert guidelines for vaccine prioritization.

Main Methods:

• Survey conducted in Brazil, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United States (September-December 2020).
• Utilized ranking and forced-choice tasks to assess respondent preferences.
• Analyzed responses across various countries and socio-demographic groups.

Main Results:

• Public preferences align with expert recommendations, prioritizing healthcare workers and individuals with medical preconditions.
• Respondents also favored individuals who registered early for vaccination and citizens of the respective countries.
• These preferences remained consistent across different measurement methods, nations, and demographic subgroups.

Conclusions:

• Public sentiment supports prioritizing vulnerable populations and essential workers for COVID-19 vaccination.
• Nationalism and early registration also emerged as significant factors influencing public vaccine allocation preferences.
• Findings provide insights for refining public health communication and vaccine distribution policies.