Have you done your research? Information sources and trust as predictors of vaccine intentions and uptake during Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout

Karina T. Rune; Samuel J. Devonald; Jacob J. Keech

doi:10.1080/00049530.2026.2716072

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Have you done your research? Information sources and trust as predictors of vaccine intentions and uptake during Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout

Journal article

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Have you done your research? Information sources and trust as predictors of vaccine intentions and uptake during Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout

Karina T. Rune, Samuel J. Devonald and Jacob J. Keech

Australian Journal of Psychology, Vol.78(1), pp.1-12

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2026.2716072

PMID: 42746591

Appears in COVID-19 Research

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Abstract

COVID‑19 vaccination

vaccine hesitancy

vaccination misinformation

information sources

trust

Background The COVID-19 pandemic generated a global “infodemic” of misinformation, shaping public perceptions, trust, and vaccine hesitancy. Although COVID-19 vaccination campaigns have concluded, understanding how people used and trusted information sources during the rollout remains relevant to improving future public health communication. Objective This study examined (1) associations between information sources and COVID-19 vaccination intentions and uptake in Australia, (2) the role of trust in these sources, and (3) discrepancies between source use and trust. Method A longitudinal survey (N = 405; 63.5% female) was conducted at two time points: Time 1, before COVID-19 vaccinations were freely available and Time 2, approximately 7 months later, after vaccines became accessible to all adults. Results Trust-based predictors explained more variance than source-use predictors, and ABC news outlets and state government sources emerged as the most consistent positive predictors of both vaccination intention and uptake. In contrast, social media use was negatively associated with both intention and uptake, although trust in social media was not a significant predictor, suggesting that reliance on social media, rather than trust in it, may be most relevant. Participants frequently relied on social media despite reporting lower trust in it. Conclusion Findings highlight persistent challenges posed by misinformation and emphasise the need to strengthen trust in credible information sources to support effective public health communication during public health crises.

Details

Title: Have you done your research? Information sources and trust as predictors of vaccine intentions and uptake during Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout
Authors: Karina T. Rune (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Samuel J. Devonald - University of the Sunshine Coast
Jacob J. Keech - Griffith University
Publication details: Australian Journal of Psychology, Vol.78(1), pp.1-12
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1080/00049530.2026.2716072
ISSN: 1742-9536
PMID: 42746591
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Data Availability: Data, study code, analysis, and output are available on OSF: Have You Done Your Research? How Information Sources and Trust Shape COVID-19 Vaccine Intentions and Uptake https://osf.io/kse9p/?view_only=7d39f685f3c94cc88f3c5119e1b52fe5
Organisation Unit: Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; School of Health; Cancer Research Cluster; School of Health - Psychology
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991260050302621
Output Type: Journal article

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