Abstract

Introduction: YouTube is a very important source of information. The videos in YouTube provide a message with information. The purpose of this article was to assess the main message of available materials about coronavirus disease 2019 vaccines on YouTube. Methods: In this study, the four search terms "COVID-19 vaccine", "COVID-19 vaccination", "Coronavirus vaccine", "Coronavirus vaccination" were scanned on the YouTube media platform on 9 February 2021. We examined video parameters i.e., durations, view counts, likes, dislikes, comments, messages and sources of the 83 videos about COVID-19 vaccine. Results: The messages were defined as 52 positive, 12 negative, and 17 ambiguous about getting vaccinated. Significant differences were determined between the message category groups in respect of the like ratio. Positive group videos were less liked. Conclusion: More negative messages about the COVID-19 vaccine were found in media-sourced videos. Negative and ambiguous videos were more attractive to YouTube users. Scientists, policymakers, and community leaders should play a role in disseminating information about COVID-19 vaccine and vaccination.