Trust in institutions affects vaccination campaign outcomes

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Global Health
• Social Science

Background:

• Trust in institutions is a key factor influencing societal outcomes.
• Limited research exists on the impact of institutional trust on actual vaccination campaign performance.
• Existing studies often focus on beliefs and intentions rather than real-world vaccination data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between trust in institutions and vaccination campaign outcomes.
• To determine if institutional trust influences vaccination rates and speed.
• To explore variations in this relationship across different economic development levels.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nationally representative, individual-level data from 114 countries.
• Integrated vaccination policy and rate data with institutional trust indicators.
• Employed Gompertz curve analysis to estimate vaccination campaign growth rates.
• Conducted country-level regressions and analyzed heterogeneity across World Bank development groups.

Main Results:

• Higher trust in institutions was significantly associated with increased vaccination rates globally (p<0.01).
• Institutional trust also significantly enhanced vaccination campaign speed worldwide (p<0.01).
• The positive impact of trust was pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, but not statistically significant in high-income countries.

Conclusions:

• Findings underscore the critical role of institutional trust in successful vaccination campaigns.
• Emphasize the importance of trust-building in communication strategies, particularly for low- and middle-income countries.
• Inform national governments and international organizations on designing effective vaccination initiatives.