Factors influencing the level of trust in vaccines

Abstract

The authors explore the degree of consumer trust regarding the various brands of Covid-19 vaccines made available by laboratories in Portugal. This chapter aims to fill a gap in the literature, since brands of COVID-19 vaccines have never been analysed from a brand trust perspective. The results show that the level of trust differs significantly between vaccine brands, with BioNtech - Pfizer, Moderna - National Institute of Health and Oxford -AstraZeneca inspiring the highest levels of trust among respondents. Other vaccine brands - Sanofi GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, and CureVac - showed lower levels of trust or respondents had no opinion whatsoever. Gender, age, family net monthly income, educational qualifications, and being a health professional were also found to influence the level of trust towards vaccine brands differently. The results may serve as strategic orientations for the pharmaceutical industry brands, but they may also be the object of reflection for public organisms when making purchasing and implementation decisions in the country.