Exploring Changes in COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions by Prompting Altruistic Motives Using a Video Intervention

As Canada records over 1,400,000 COVID-19 infections and 26,000 deaths, the need to stop the spread of the virus has become increasingly critical. Although younger individuals (aged 20-39) have lower hospitalisation and death rates than older adults, they have high rates of infection and may be less willing to accept a vaccine because they consider the disease to be less dangerous for themselves. It is of concern that around 30% of Canadians, especially younger adults, will not be willing to accept a COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccination will be the best method to control the pandemic in the future and protect those at higher risk of hospitalisation and death (e.g., elderly, those with chronic diseases). Therefore, achieving high rates of vaccination coverage among younger adults is very important in the long run to protect not only themselves but also others. For the experimental condition, the investigators will develop a brief video that will promote the vaccine's protection of others (altruism). For the control condition, the investigators will create an informational text on COVID-19 preventative health measures based on recommendations from the Public Health Agency of Canada. 2630 younger adults (aged 20 to 39) who have not yet received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine will be recruited. To match Canadian demographics, participants will be recruited using the following quotas to reflect census data from Statistics Canada: 50% male and 50% female; 80% Anglophone and 20% Francophone; 80% urban and 20% rural; and 50% household income level less than $75,000 and 50% household income greater than $75,000. Half of the participants will be randomly assigned to watch the video, with the other half reading the text. In both groups, participants will complete a short online survey before and after viewing the video or reading the text. The goal is to assess the efficacy of the video on increasing younger adults' willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The research team is partnering in this study with key agencies, e.g., Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), and the Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec (INSPQ) to help communicate the research findings to the general population.