Attitudes and Beliefs about COVID-19, research and vaccines 

The 20-minute questionnaire asked for information on the participant’s lifestyle and behaviour prior to the pandemic and how their daily habits had changed since COVID-19 arrived in the country.

Questions about the person’s health, their clinical vulnerability, shielding advice, previous flu vaccine uptake, confirmed COVID-19 infections, previous participation in clinical trials and willingness to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine trial were also asked.

The findings said that more than two in three (69 per cent) people would consider putting themselves forward to take part in research to find a vaccine to slow the spread of the virus.

Among those who said that they would consider taking part in vaccine research, the most powerful motivations included supporting research to deliver faster answers (85 per cent) and helping others in my community (59 per cent). Three quarters of all respondents (76%) identified support to help with transport and childcare as something that would encourage them to volunteer to take part in research.

Building on the findings of the survey, the prolonged COVID-19 restrictions in place across Leicester and the vaccines development, the Centre continued its work. In July 2020 the team conducted qualitative research to explore feelings towards hospital attendance for research, attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccine research and the role of patient and public involvement (PPI) and community involvement in COVID-19 research.

• Three focus groups and 47 interviews with different groups by six interviewers were carried out, via virtual platforms and telephone calls.
• A total of 70 people contributed to the study and 55 people (26 males, 29 females) represented different ethnicities, and 15 represented other vulnerable groups, namely mental health, homeless and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
• South Asian (30), African and African Caribbean (17), white Polish (4) and white British (3) backgrounds participated.
• A webinar on “Vaccine Trials and Mental Ill Health” was conducted with 11 participants.
• Interviews were conducted with representatives from the homeless community organisations and the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community organisations.

The findings of the qualitative research were used to develop a survey to engage with a wider number of respondents to help explore the barriers of taking part in COVID-19 research and ultimately increase participation.  

However, it is vital, particularly when developing vaccines, that representation from all population groups in clinical trials are included.

The aim of the work was to better understand the opinions of people from all different backgrounds and communities when it comes to medical research.

Factors that motivated participation, including concerns that discouraged participation, information needs, accessibility and suggestions to encourage participation, were explored and were used for the next stage of the project.

Recruitment was urgently needed for COVID-19 vaccine trials and researchers needed people from different ethnic minority communities to sign up.

The results have now been shared in this new report titled ‘Understanding the factors associated with willingness to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial’.

• Centre for Ethnic Health Research
• ARC East Midlands
• University of Leicester
• Clinical Research Network East Midlands (CRNEM) 

Recruitment and participation is vital in any trial and therefore mistrust or misinformation needs to be addressed in methods that are culturally sensitive to enable work to be representative of the population

EthnicHealthResearch@leicester.ac.uk

‘Understanding the factors associated with willingness to participate in a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial’.