Vaccination readiness among adults in Norway: A cross-sectional survey using the 7C model

Maintaining high vaccination readiness is key to sustaining high vaccination coverage. In this study, we aim to estimate the vaccination readiness of the Norwegian adult population and explore its associations with sociodemographic characteristics and the intention to be vaccinated.

A representative sample of the adult Norwegian population were surveyed with the validated 7C questionnaire on general vaccination readiness, which contains items about seven components of vaccination readiness (confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation, collective responsibility, compliance and conspiracy). Participants were also asked about sociodemographic background and their intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza. We assessed associations involving vaccination readiness in linear and logistic regression models.

A total of 4137 individuals participated in the survey (overall response rate 50.5 %). Our study sample was comparable to the Norwegian population in terms of sociodemographic characteristics. On a scale from 1 to 7, the mean overall 7C vaccination readiness score was 4.82. Low overall vaccination readiness was associated with sociodemographic characteristics such as male sex, younger age, low education, low income and living alone. Overall vaccination readiness was strongly associated with intention to receive a booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine among those aged 18 years or older (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 10.23, 95 % confidence interval (95 %CI) 8.38 to 12.49)), and with influenza vaccination among those aged 65 years or older (aOR 7.38, 95 %CI 4.51 to 12.10)), as were each of the seven vaccination readiness components when regressed on vaccination intention.

Overall general vaccination readiness was relatively high in the adult population in Norway. However, it differed between sociodemographic groups. Component and overall vaccination readiness scores were associated with intention to be vaccinated, and these associations were stronger for booster vaccination against COVID-19 than against influenza. The observed 7C estimates enable tracking of vaccination readiness over time and help identify themes and populations that can be targeted to improve compliance with vaccination program recommendations.