Predicting Intention to Take a COVID-19 Vaccine in the United States: Application and Extension of Theory of Planned Behavior

Yusuke Hayashi, Paul Romanowich, Donald A. Hantula

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to apply and extend the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict intention to take a COVID-19 vaccine. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Online. Sample: Adult US residents recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk (n = 172). Measures: Intention to take a COVID-19 vaccine (outcome variable), demographic variables (predictors), standard TPB variables (perceived behavioral control, attitude, and subjective norm; predictors), and non-TPB variables (anticipated regret, health locus of control, and perceived community benefit; predictors). Analysis: Hierarchical linear regression predicting intention to take a COVID-19 vaccine, with demographic, standard TPB, and non-TPB variables entered in regression models 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Results: The extended TPB model accounted for 72.5% of the variance in vaccination intention (p <.001), with perceived behavioral control (β =.29, p <.001), attitude (β =.23, p =.043), and perceived community benefit (β =.23, p =.020) being significant unique predictors. Conclusion: Despite the relatively small and non-representative sample, this study, conducted after COVID-19 vaccines were widely available in the USA, demonstrated that perceived behavioral control was the most robust predictor of intention to take a COVID-19 vaccine, suggesting that the TPB is a useful theoretical framework that can inform effective strategies to promote vaccine acceptance.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)710-713
Number of pages4
JournalAmerican Journal of Health Promotion
Volume36
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2022

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Health(social science)
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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