• Huan Liu, Zhiqing Zhou, Xiubin Tao, Long Huang, Ergang Zhu, Liang Yu, and Ming Zhang.
• Yijishan Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Department of Hemodialysis - Anhui, China.
• Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2021 Sep 1; 67 (9): 1317-1321.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the attitudes of Chinese residents toward COVID-19 vaccines and explore the potential drivers for Chinese residents' vaccine hesitancy.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted from February 16 to March 16, 2021, by administering an online questionnaire to the Chinese residents.ResultsOf 5240 residents who completed the survey, 464 (8.9%) participants reported to have had one shot, and 348 (6.6%) reported to have had 2 shots. At the time the questionnaire was administered, 2298 (43.9%) participants reported they wanted to get vaccinated, while 2255 (43.0%) declared that they still did not know, and 687 (13.1%) respondents declared vaccine refusal. Overall, 2255 (43%) participants were categorized as vaccine hesitancy. Female participants (p=0.000), <20 years old (p=0.000), have low risk of COVID-19 (p=0.000) infection and strong associations of vaccine hesitancy. eHealth literacy was a protective factor.ConclusionsThe results of this study show high rates of vaccine hesitancy in China. This could pose a serious threat to the preventive measures that aimed at controlling COVID-19 spread in the country. The government and different media platforms should encourage the dissemination of correct information about vaccines, the communities and medical staff to improve residents' knowledge about vaccines, and strive to improve residents' electronic health literacy.

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