Introduction: The uncontrolled spread of infectious diseases threatens the population of the entire world. In December 2019, many cases of pneumonia were reported from Wuhan. The emergence of a new coronavirus has been identified. It was named SARS-CoV-2, and the disease it causes covid-19. The disease spread rapidly around the world. The fast development of the vaccine against covid-19 has raised doubts among people about the effectiveness and safety of vaccines. People's acceptance and willingness to get vaccinated is fundamental to stop the spread of this disease. During the pandemic, employees in critical infrastructure sectors were crucial for the smooth functioning of society. Understanding the attitudes towards the covid-19 vaccination is important as it is a predictor of the decision to vaccinate. Purpose: The purpose of the master's thesis is to investigate the attitudes of employees in critical infrastructure sectors towards vaccination against covid-19 and the reasons for the formation of these attitudes. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional quantitative study. We obtained the data using a survey questionnaire. Data from 1789 responders were analyzed using the SPSS program. Participation in the research was voluntary. The participants were guaranteed anonymity. Results: In our research, we confirmed that employees in the healthcare sector have more positive attitudes towards vaccination against covid-19, compared to employees in other sectors of critical and non-critical infrastructure. We have confirmed that the individual's course of covid-19 disease affects the formation of attitudes towards vaccination against covid-19. For people with a better experience with vaccination in general and against covid-19, we confirmed a significantly more positive attitude towards vaccination against covid-19 and vice versa. We found that employed people who know more people with complications after receiving the vaccine have more negative attitudes towards vaccination against covid-19. People with a negative experience with vaccination in the past have more negative attitudes towards vaccination against covid-19. Discussion and conclusion: The declining vaccination rate of the population in general is a worrying public health problem that would be easier to address with a deeper understanding of attitudes towards vaccination against covid-19. In order to understand the attitudes towards vaccination against covid-19, further research is needed, specifically on the influence of side effects after vaccination in general and against covid-19, and on the influence of close acquaintances and their experiences with vaccination in the past on the individual's attitude. Employees in critical infrastructure are crucial for the smooth functioning of the state. Understanding their attitudes towards vaccination against covid-19 is important, since the normal functioning of society depends on their vaccination. Especially important are the attitudes of healthcare workers, who are key in informing individuals about vaccines and vaccination. Healthcare workers play an important role in informing people with reliable information about vaccines and vaccination against covid-19.
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