COVID-19 Hesitancy and Vaccine Attitudes among African American and
Nigerian College Students
Abstract
This cross-sectional study examined COVID-19 attitudes and vaccine
hesitancy among African American and Nigerian college students (
N = 189). African American and Nigerian college students were
sampled from regional universities within the United States and Nigeria.
Participants completed the World Health Organization (WHO) Vaccine
Hesitancy Scale (VHS; 2014) and sociodemographic questions to assess
attitudes, primarily vaccination hesitancy, toward COVID-19 vaccination.
Independent t tests revealed no significant differences between
the nationalities and any hesitancy in taking the COVID-19 vaccine (
t(167) = .334, p = .739). However, there was a significant
effect for trust in the COVID-19 vaccine ( t(174) = -3.42,
p = <.001), with American students ( M = 0.59;
SD = 0.50) showing more trust than Nigerian students ( M =
0.34; SD = 0.48). In addition, there was a significant effect for
the overall general support of vaccines, t(176) = 2.43 p =
.016, with Nigerian students ( M = 0.86; SD = 0.35)
showing more favor than American students ( M = 0.71; SD =
0.46). Additional analyses associated with the cross-cultural
comparisons were conducted and discussed.