“If It’s My Time”: A Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intention Among a Sample of Arab Americans

Delaney Glass; Noor Zanial; Mahdi Taye; Siwaar Abouhala; Feda Hammood; Sarah Zeidat; Nadia N. Abuelezam

doi:10.29333/ajqr/15595

“If It’s My Time”: A Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intention Among a Sample of Arab Americans

Delaney Glass ¹, Noor Zanial ², Mahdi Taye ³, Siwaar Abouhala ⁴, Feda Hammood ⁵, Sarah Zeidat ⁶, Nadia N. Abuelezam ⁷ ^*

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AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 8, Issue 4, pp. 109-131

https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/15595

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Abstract

Little is known about vaccine willingness in Arab Americans. It stands to reason that factors such as increased risks of experiencing xenophobia and discrimination and limited social support, particularly among new immigrants, may influence COVID-19 vaccine willingness among Arab Americans. We qualitatively investigate the psychological, social, and physical impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Arab Americans and explore how these experiences may have influenced COVID-19 vaccine perceptions and behaviors. We conducted a qualitative study following an interpretivist, inductive paradigm among a subset of Arab Americans (N=23) living in the US between April and July 2021. We identified four broad categories of themes: individual factors contributing to COVID-19 vaccine willingness, perceptions of the US government and the public health response, the impact of media on the COVID-19 pandemic and perceptions about the COVID-19 vaccine, and perceived COVID-19 severity. COVID-19 vaccine willingness was based on participants’ perception of the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting their health and that of others in their social circle, a work or school requirement, or fulfilling a greater social responsibility. Though our study disproportionately represented those who were vaccine-willing, participants referenced stories about people in their immediate and distal networks who were unwilling to be vaccinated. There are complex connections between individual well-being, community identity and belonging, and health for Arab Americans that deserve additional attention.

Keywords: Arab American, COVID-19, Pandemic, Vaccine Willingness, Public Health, Qualitative Health Research

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Citation

Glass, D., Zanial, N., Taye, M., Abouhala, S., Hammood, F., Zeidat, S., & Abuelezam, N. N. (2024). “If It’s My Time”: A Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intention Among a Sample of Arab Americans. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 8(4), 109-131. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/15595

Glass, D., Zanial, N., Taye, M., Abouhala, S., Hammood, F., Zeidat, S., and Abuelezam, N. N. (2024). “If It’s My Time”: A Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intention Among a Sample of Arab Americans. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 8(4), pp. 109-131. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/15595

Glass D, Zanial N, Taye M, et al. “If It’s My Time”: A Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intention Among a Sample of Arab Americans. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2024;8(4), 109-131. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/15595

Glass, Delaney, Noor Zanial, Mahdi Taye, Siwaar Abouhala, Feda Hammood, Sarah Zeidat, and Nadia N. Abuelezam. "“If It’s My Time”: A Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intention Among a Sample of Arab Americans". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2024 8 no. 4 (2024): 109-131. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/15595

Glass, Delaney et al. "“If It’s My Time”: A Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intention Among a Sample of Arab Americans". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 8, no. 4, 2024, pp. 109-131. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/15595

Glass D, Zanial N, Taye M, Abouhala S, Hammood F, Zeidat S, et al. “If It’s My Time”: A Qualitative Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Intention Among a Sample of Arab Americans. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2024;8(4):109-31. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/15595