Herding behavior in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in rural Zimbabwe: The moderating role of health information under heterogeneous household risk perceptions

• Published in: Social science & medicine (1982) 2023-04, Vol.323, p.115854-115854, Article 115854
• Main Authors: Kairiza, Terrence, Kembo, George, Chigusiwa, Lloyd
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Community Health Workers; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 - prevention & control; COVID-19 Vaccines - therapeutic use; Government; Health information; Herding behavior; Humans; Immunity, Herd; Risk; Vaccination; Vaccination Hesitancy; Vaccine hesitancy; Zimbabwe - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0277-9536; 1873-5347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115854

COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy poses a global health threat by potentially delaying the attainment of herd immunity to attenuate infection and transmission. Most governments across the world are engrossed with formulating strategies to surmount conservative group behavior such as vaccine hesitancy typical under risky and uncertain situations such as in the case of COVID-19. This paper examines herding behavior in vaccine hesitancy with a special focus on the moderating role of household access to health information from village health workers under different risk perceptions. We use the 2021 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee cross-section household national survey consisting of 13, 583 valid observations. Our major findings indicate that herding behavior plays a role in rural households’ hesitancy to COVID-19 vaccine inoculation. Furthermore, whilst access to health information from village health workers reduces herding behavior in vaccine hesitancy, it does so more when the household perceives itself to be at high risk of contracting COVID-19. Analysing herding behavior in vaccine hesitancy can help policymakers develop more targeted vaccination strategies, such as promoting access to health information through channels like village health workers, especially for households at high risk of contracting COVID-19. •People follow the herd in vaccine hesitancy when the vaccine is fairly unknown.•Health information from village health workers reduces vaccine hesitancy.•Perceived high risk of infection increases acceptance of expert vaccination advice.