COVID-19 Vaccination Uptake in Belgium : Sociodemographic and Socioeconomic Disparities

Educational level was classified using the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) : ISCED0 (less than primary education), ISCED1 (primary education), ISCED2 (lower secondary school), ISCED3 (upper secondary school), ISCED4 (post-secondary non tertiary education), ISCED5 (short-cycle tertiary education), ISCED6 (bachelor's or equivalent level), ISCED7 (master's or equivalent level), ISCED8 (doctoral or equivalent level). We merged these different categories into three main education level : low (ISCED0 to ISCED2), middle (ISCED3 to ISCED4) and high (ISCED5 to ISCED 8). This information is provided by STATBEL.

Income information is available as deciles of the net income of the whole household. This indicator is further categorized into low income (deciles 1 to 4), middle income (deciles 5 to 7), and high income (deciles 8 to 10). This information is provided by STATBEL.

Male or female. This variable is obtained from the Belgian national registry.

Migration background is based on the first nationality and the parents' country of origin. This variable distinguishes between native-born individuals, second-generation migrants, first-generation European migrants, and first-generation non-European migrants. This information is provided by STATBEL.

Household type provides a partial picture of the social environment and is distinguished between one person, couples, couples with children, single parents, other, collectivity (prison, nursing homes, religious community, etc.). This information is provided by STATBEL.

Having a health care degree is used as a proxy for health literacy and is provided by CoBRHA. The scientific and medical background can lead to more preventive and responsible behaviors towards infectious diseases. Moreover, being a health professional can lead to the need to protect patients and themselves against infections, without necessarily having very advanced knowledge of infectious diseases and vaccines.