Introduction

Every day, people make decisions of all sorts: may it be in terms of health,

relationships, finances, and the like. It can also be observed in different settings: at

home, at workplaces, and even within a community. This is considered as the

process of decision-making— decision identification, information acquisition, and

alternative resolution assessment that leads people to a certain choice (University of

Massachusetts Dartmouth, 2016), which is essential in daily situations. However, this

procedure remains complicated due to the factors that should be taken into

consideration before reaching a particular decision (Dietrich, 2010).

On the other hand, vaccination is identified as the process where individuals gain

immunity and protection from diseases through the use of vaccines ("Vaccination,"

2021). Moreover, this process plays a significant role in improving people’s health.

Many infectious diseases, such as polio and smallpox, are nearly or completely

eradicated because of vaccines. In line with this, vaccination has reached its

significance as it does not only protect those people who are vaccinated, but also

those around them (Orenstein & Ahmed, 2017).

In view of the pandemic the world is currently experiencing, people are faced with

more health-related decisions than before. Particularly, when it comes to getting

vaccinated against COVID-19. According to Tam et al. (2020), numerous factors

contribute to vaccine acceptance; and this differs per individual. Taking these factors

into consideration, a person may accept, refuse, or hesitate with COVID-19

vaccination.
Background of the Study

COVID-19, also known as CoronaVirus Disease of 2019, is a disease that emerged

from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. According to Wu et al. (2020), COVID-19 was first

detected in humans in Wuhan, Hubei Province of the People’s Republic of China, in

December 2019. From being a local outbreak, COVID-19 continued to spread across

China. In March 2020, COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic by the World

Health Organization (Cucinotta & Vanelli, 2020).

As a result, scientists race against time to develop a vaccine to help people

gain immunization against COVID-19. According to Forni & Mantovani (2021), above

300 COVID-19 vaccine projects were launched 11 months after the initial

identification of SARS-CoV-2. In addition to this, some countries already authorized

a few of these vaccines.

Despite the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, the public still has varied

decisions regarding getting vaccinated. Recent data from January 2021 suggests

that vaccine acceptance in 23 countries continues to change; 7 of these countries

experienced a decline, 7 of which remained the same, while the remaining 9

experienced an increase. Overall, the average acceptance rate among these

countries went from 66% down to 63% (JH Bloomberg School of Health, 2021).

There are limited studies regarding COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among

Filipinos. With that said, the researchers chose to conduct this study on Filipinos’

decision about getting inoculated against COVID-19. Moreover, the researchers wish

to discover the determinants of their decision.

According to Lizarraga et al. (2007), decision theories are divided into

normative and descriptive perspectives. The normative perspective focuses on the

rational choices made by people in situations where decision-making is needed,

whereas the descriptive perspective focuses more on the process of making

decisions, as well as the internal and external factors affecting it.

Similarly, the researchers grounded their study on this theory, particularly, on

the descriptive perspective. This study aims to discover the internal factors affecting

one's decision such as the participant's past experiences with other vaccines, their

opinions regarding the side effects of the vaccine, and the efficacy of the vaccine. In

addition to this, the researchers also wish to identify the external factors that might

affect the decision of the participants of this study which includes the social

influences that surround them.

Overall, these objectives of the study allow the researchers to base their

research on the decision theories, particularly the descriptive theory. Considering

that they are about to assess the factors that affect the Filipinos' decision regarding

the inoculation of COVID-19 Vaccine.

This study aims to discover the factors that affect the decision of Filipinos

about getting inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine.

Particularly, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What are the respondents’ demographic profile in terms of:

1.1 Age;

1.2 Gender; and

1.3 Profession?

1. Are the factors affecting Filipinos’ decision regarding the inoculation of

COVID-19 with regard to:

2.1 Social Influence

2.2 Past Experiences with Other Vaccines

2.3 Possible Side Effects of the Vaccine; and

2.4 Efficacy of the Vaccine?

1. Is there a significant relationship between the demographic profile of the

respondents and the factors that affect their decision regarding the inoculation

of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Research Hypothesis

There is no significant relationship between the demographic profile of the

respondents and the factors that affect their decision regarding the inoculation of the

COVID-19 vaccine.
Significance of the Study

This study will benefit the following:

Government. This study will help the government know the factors that affect the

decision of Filipinos when it comes to getting the COVID-19 vaccine, which can

serve as their guide in gaining and strengthening the public’s trust.

Health Care Workers. This study will inform health care workers of the factors

affecting Filipinos’ COVID-19 vaccination decision, which can help them come up

with plans to address the hesitancy and refusal and promote acceptance among

Filipinos.

The Researchers. This study will help the researchers to better understand the

factors affecting Filipinos’ decision regarding getting inoculated with the COVID-19

vaccine. Also, this will help the researchers conclude this study.

Future Researchers. This study can serve as a source of information for future

researchers, especially for those who want to conduct research related to factors

that affect vaccine decisions.

Scope and Limitation of the Study

This study will focus on the factors affecting Filipinos’ decision regarding the

inoculation of COVID-19 vaccine. Moreover, the data collection for this study will be

conducted through an online survey of Filipinos whose ages range from 18-60 years

old. The underlying factors encountered throughout the study will be taken into

consideration.

The scope of this study is limited to determining Filipinos’ decision regarding

COVID-19 vaccine inoculation and the factors that affect it. The respondents of this

study will answer the same set of survey questions, and their responses will serve as
the main source of data for this study. Furthermore, the survey results are only

applicable to the participants of this study, and will not be used to measure the

factors affecting Filipinos’ decision with regards to COVID-19 vaccine inoculation.

Definition of Terms

The following terms below are explained to better understand the study:

Affect. This pertains to the act of having an effect on something (e.g. decision).

COVID-19. This refers to the disease that started the current pandemic.

COVID-19 vaccine. This pertains to the vaccine that will help reduce the spread of

COVID-19.

Decision-making. This refers to the process that involves consideration of factors to

come up with a decision.

Inoculation. This refers to the act of getting a vaccine.

Vaccination Decision. This pertains to the generalized term for vaccination

acceptance, hesitancy, and refusal.