How to increase acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among poor people in Africa?

Mathieu Juliot Mpabe Bodjongo, Faculté des Sciences Economiques et de Gestion de l'Université de Dschang

This study aims to analyze whether good government management of the COVID-19 pandemic can increase the likelihood of vaccine uptake among poor people in Africa. The analysis is based on a sample of 18010 people living in 34 African countries, drawn from data collected by Afrobarometer (2022). The econometric results, obtained using a bivariate probit regression, show that poverty significantly reduces the odds of accepting the said COVID-19 vaccine. However, acceptance of the vaccine increases among poor individuals when there is (i) trust in the government's published statistics on COVID-19, (ii) control of corruption by the government in managing the pandemic, and (iii) individual confidence in the government's ability to ensure the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine, and (iv) assurance of the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in relation to prayer.