Demographic Characteristics Associated With Intentions to Receive the 2023-2024 COVID-19 Vaccine

Introduction: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the updated 2023 - 2024 COVID-19 vaccines by P fi zer-BioNTech and Moderna on September 11, 2023. Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ' s recommendation that everyone aged >= 6 years receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine, the general public ' s intentions to receive the new 2023 - 2024 vaccine are unknown. Methods: Intentions to receive the new COVID-19 vaccine and the demographic predictors of those intentions were assessed from a survey of adult residents, aged >= 18 years, of Los Angeles County, California conducted in October 2023. Results: Of the 1,090 participants, 701 (64.3%) indicated they were planning on receiving the new COVID-19 vaccine, 217 (19.9%) responded no, and 172 (15.8%) were unsure. Male gender (versus female); age groups of 50 - 64 and >= 65 years (versus 18 - 29 years); and >= $100,000 household income (versus <= $49,999) were associated with higher odds of reporting yes than reporting no regarding their vaccination intentions. Asian and Hispanic race/ethnicity (versus Non -Hispanic White) were associated with higher odds of indicating not sure than the odds of indicating no vaccination intentions. A signi fi cantly higher proportion of not -sure respondents reported " I plan to wait and see if it is safe and may get it later " , whereas a signi fi cantly higher proportion of no respondents reported " I don ' t believe I need a COVID-19 vaccine booster " and " I don ' t trust COVID-19 vaccines. " Conclusions: This study demonstrates demographic differences in attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination intentions and highlights the importance of promotional messages and initiatives that target more hesitant populations. These messages should address possible side effects and vaccine safety.