Exploring vaccine acceptance using Protection Motivation Theory: A study of college students’ behavioral intentions in the context of COVID-19

This article presents a study on the psychological factors that may affect university students’ acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine using Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and some components of Theory Planned Behavior (TPB). It draws together the influence of knowledge of vaccine actions on threat and coping and how these factors drive intentions to act and to be vaccinated. The data were obtained from 315 Indian university students using a cross-sectional design and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The core constructs were perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, self-efficacy, response efficacy, response cost, behavioral intention, and vaccine acceptance. The findings indicate that vaccine-related knowledge significantly enhances perceived severity and response efficacy, which positively influences behavioral intention and acceptance. Mediation analysis confirmed the indirect effect of coping appraisals, whereas moderation analysis revealed that Vaccine Attitude Hesitancy (VAH) moderated the relationship between knowledge, intention, and acceptance. A simple slope analysis further validates these effects. This study contributes to the understanding of vaccine hesitancy by integrating the PMT and TPB, offering valuable implications for public health communication strategies. Enhancing awareness and addressing psychological barriers can support greater vaccine uptake among students, which is crucial for pandemic preparedness.