1 Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
2 Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre, Centre Intégré Universitaire de santé et services sociaux du Nord-de-l'Ile-de-Montréal (CIUSSS-NIM), Montréal, QC, Canada.
3 Department of Physical Activity Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
4 Department of Innovation and Research, Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec, Montréal, QC, Canada.
5 Unity Health Toronto, Department of Medicine, Division of Respirology, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada.
6 Keenan Research Center, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
7 Family Medicine, Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
8 Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, NS, Canada.
9 Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and correlates of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among Canadian healthcare workers (HCWs) and identify motivators for COVID-19 vaccination, compared to the general population (GPop).

Methods: As part of the iCARE study, four cross-sectional age, sex, and province-weighted population-based samples of 12 009 Canadians aged 18+ years were recruited between May 2021 and February 2022. Participants self-reported HCW and vaccine status.

Results: 738 participants identified as HCWs, with 8.5% being vaccine hesitant, vs. 12.6% of the GPop (p = .005). In multivariate analyses, those with a chronic disease were less likely (HCW OR = 0.34; GPop OR = 0.77) and parents with children <18 years of age in the household were more likely (HCW OR = 2.29; GPop OR = 1.39) to be vaccine hesitant. Needing only a one dose vaccine (86%; 82.6%), and vaccine safety (46%; 42%) and effectiveness (38%; 37%) were most likely to motivate hesitant HCWs and GPop to get vaccinated.

Conclusion: Findings highlight less vaccine hesitancy in HCWs compared to the GPop, despite demographic and motivator correlates being similar.

Policy implications: Shared interventions emphasizing vaccine safety, reduced illness severity, shorter disease duration, and the advantages of single-dose options may benefit all groups.