BACKGROUND: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (CVH) has become a critical public health issue, with attitudes toward vaccines emerging as a broader social issue. Public debates surrounding vaccines have expanded beyond health considerations to include issues of trust, misinformation, and societal values, making CVH a complex challenge that requires multifaceted solutions. Analyzing the various determinants of CVH is crucial for developing targeted strategies to improve vaccine acceptance in specific countries and to better prepare for future public health crises. However, no study to date has evaluated the determinants of CVH in a representative sample of the Czech population. METHODS: A multiple hierarchical logistic regression was used to analyze the associations between various sociodemographic, trust and attitudinal factors with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance (CVA). The analysis utilized survey data from a representative longitudinal sample of the Czech population (N = 1,407). RESULTS: After controlling for all other factors, trust in official statements from the Ministry of Health was the strongest predictor of CVA, followed by prior positive attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination (prior to vaccine availability) and older age. Lower trust in COVID-19 misinformation also predicted CVA, while lower interest in COVID-19 media content was associated with CVA. Higher income initially predicted CVA but lost statistical significance after controlling for other variables. Interestingly, education did not play a role in CVA. CONCLUSION: CVH was primarily driven by distrust in government-provided information. Notably, vaccine refusers demonstrated a higher motivation to seek information on the topic, offering a promising opportunity for health policy interventions. Our findings suggest that strategies to reduce CVH should prioritize building trust in state institutions and effectively combating misinformation.

• MeSH
• COVID-19 * prevence a kontrola   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• důvěra * MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• longitudinální studie MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• odkládání očkování * psychologie   statistika a číselné údaje   MeSH
• pacientův souhlas se zdravotní péčí statistika a číselné údaje   psychologie   MeSH
• průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• vakcíny proti COVID-19 * aplikace a dávkování   MeSH
• zdraví - znalosti, postoje, praxe MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH