COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among college students in South Carolina: do information sources and trust in information matter?

Background For college students who are exposed to multimedia, the sources of COVID-19 vaccine information and their trust in these sources may play a role in shaping the vaccine acceptance spectrum (refusal, hesitancy, and acceptance). Methods Based on an online survey among 1,062 college students in South Carolina, we investigated vaccine information sources among college students and examined how COVID-19 vaccine acceptance was associated with information source and trust level in each source. Results The top three sources of COVID-19 vaccine information were health agencies, mass media, and personal social networks. Trust in mass media, health agencies, scientists, and pharmaceutical companies was negatively associated with vaccine refusal. Trust in government and scientists was negatively associated with vaccine hesitancy. Discussion Our findings highlight the importance of restoring trust in government, healthcare system, scientists, and pharmaceutical industries in the COVID-19 era.