Behavioral Insights from Vaccine Adoption in Nigeria: Cross-Sectional Survey Findings
Authors: Agha Sohail , Nsofor Ifeanyi , Bernard Drew , Francis Sarah , Rao Nandan 
Published: February 2024

Background

To generate behavioral insights for the development of effective vaccination interventions, we need approaches that combine rapid and inexpensive survey data collection with instruments based on easy-to-use behavior models. This study demonstrates how an inexpensive digital survey helped identify the drivers of COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria.

Objective

This study aims to illustrate how behavioral insights can be generated through inexpensive digital surveys.

Methods

We designed and conducted a cross-sectional survey with multistage sampling. Data were collected from Nigerians (aged ≥18 years) from 120 strata based on age, sex, state, and urban or rural location. Respondents were recruited via advertisements on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) using the Virtual Lab open-source tool. We used a Meta Messenger chatbot for data collection; participants were compensated with 400 naira (US $0.87 cents). Data collection took 2 weeks. In total, 957 respondents completed the survey, at an advertising cost of US $1.55 per respondent. An 18-item instrument measuring core motivators, ability barriers, sociodemographic characteristics, and respondents’ vaccination status was pretested before data collection. We ran separate logistic regression models to examine the relationships between vaccine uptake and core motivators, ability barriers, and sociodemographic variables. A final model that predicted vaccine uptake included all 3 sets of variables.

Results

About 56% (n=540) of respondents reported that they had received at least 1 COVID-19 vaccination. Three core motivators were positively associated with vaccine uptake: the belief that the COVID-19 vaccine promised a better life (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.51, 95% CI 2.23-5.52), the belief that the vaccine would allow respondents to do more things they enjoyed (aOR 1.97, 95% CI 1.33-2.93), and respondents’ perception that their friends and family members accepted their decision to get vaccinated (aOR 1.62, 95% CI 1.06-2.48). Two ability barriers were negatively associated with vaccine uptake: cost- or income-related concerns lowered the odds of being vaccinated (aOR 0.35, 95% CI 0.24-0.50) and the lack of availability of vaccines at places respondents routinely visited also lowered their odds of being vaccinated (aOR 0.29, 95% CI 0.21-0.40). After adjusting for other variables, the perceived fear of getting COVID-19 and the hardship associated with the disease were no longer associated with vaccine uptake.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that hope is more important for Nigerians than fear when it comes to vaccine adoption, enjoying life is more important than worrying about getting the disease, and approval from friends and family is more powerful than their disapproval. These findings suggest that emphasizing the benefits of leading a fuller life after being vaccinated is more likely to succeed than increasing Nigerians’ fear of COVID-19. This study identifies a very different set of factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine adoption than previous Nigerian studies.