Vaccine Hesitancy Among Migrant Communities in Qatar: Scoping an Evidence Gap Map
In Qatar, migrants are the majority, and a national survey found citizens more hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines than migrants. This is how we would scope an evidence gap map on vaccine hesitancy and immunization barriers among migrant workers.
- Migrant share of Qatar’s population
- Around 90%
- COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, 2020 survey
- 20.2% would not, 19.8% unsure
- More hesitant group in that survey
- Citizens, not migrants
- Status
- Proposed map scope, not results
Quick answer
- International reviews show migrants often have lower vaccination coverage, mostly because of access barriers rather than hesitancy alone.
- Qatar differs: about 90% of residents are migrants, and a 2020 national survey found citizens more hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines than migrants.
- An evidence gap map for Qatar should separate access barriers from vaccine confidence, and labour migrants from professional expatriates.
- The map shows where evidence exists; it does not measure hesitancy or prove that a gap is a priority.
01Why Qatar needs its own map
Most research on vaccine hesitancy among migrant communities comes from Europe and North America, where migrants are a minority. Qatar is the opposite: around 90% of the population are economic migrants [1]. That changes the question.
A national survey of 7,821 adults in late 2020 found that 20.2% would not take a COVID-19 vaccine and 19.8% were unsure. Citizens were more likely to be hesitant than migrants, and women more than men; safety and long-term side effects were the main concerns [1]. A map built on the European assumption that migrants are the hesitant group would start from the wrong place.
02What existing reviews already cover
Four systematic reviews summarise the international evidence on immunization barriers among migrants [2, 3, 4, 5]. Together they describe access problems (language, cost, registration, time off work) as major contributors to gaps in migrant vaccination coverage, with low vaccine acceptance as a separate driver.
| Review | Scope | Main point for a Qatar map |
|---|---|---|
| Wilson et al., 2018 | Newcomers, mostly North America and Europe | Access barriers such as language, cost, registration and knowledge of services are widely reported |
| Crawshaw et al., 2022 | Migrants in Europe, routine and COVID-19 vaccines | Determinants span access, awareness, trust and service design |
| Rojas-Venegas et al., 2022 | Vaccination coverage among migrants, meta-analysis | Pooled coverage estimates vary widely by vaccine and setting |
| Deal et al., 2023 | Refugees and migrants, global | Treats drivers of under-immunisation and of hesitancy separately |
None of them focuses on the Gulf, where most migrants are temporary workers whose health care is often organised through employers. That setting is the gap an evidence gap map in Qatar would examine.
03A mapping framework for migrant workers in Qatar
An evidence gap map sorts studies into a matrix so the distribution of evidence becomes visible [6]. For this topic we would use determinant against population as the axes, with vaccine, intervention and outcome as filters.
| Dimension | Categories | Why it matters in Qatar |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Labour migrants in shared housing, domestic workers, professional expatriates, families, citizens as comparator | Groups differ in employer-mediated access to care |
| Vaccine | COVID-19, influenza, routine adult vaccines, childhood catch-up | Shows whether local evidence goes beyond COVID-19 |
| Determinant | Confidence, complacency, convenience, access, information source | Separates hesitancy from access barriers |
| Intervention | Workplace vaccination, multilingual communication, community leaders, outreach clinics | Shows which responses have been tested |
| Outcome | Intention, uptake, coverage, completion of schedule | Separates intention from actual uptake |
These categories are a proposed starting point. Which cells are empty can only be known after a documented search and screening.
04How the map would be built
- Frame the scope: Qatar only, or Qatar plus other Gulf states as comparators; routine and COVID-19 vaccines.
- Search systematically: MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, regional journals, Ministry of Public Health reports and conference abstracts, with every search string documented.
- Screen and code each study against the framework, in duplicate on a pilot sample first.
- Present an interactive matrix and a short report that states what the search could not reach.
05Questions the map is designed to answer
- Is evidence on migrant workers limited to COVID-19, or does it cover influenza and routine adult vaccines?
- How many studies measure actual uptake rather than intention?
- Have workplace or employer-led public health interventions been evaluated?
- Are migrant health inequalities reported by nationality, language or job type, or only as one “non-Qatari” group?
The answers decide whether the next step is a focused systematic review, a new survey or an evaluation of a vaccination programme.
Questions
Are migrants more vaccine hesitant than citizens?
Not everywhere. In a 2020 national survey in Qatar, citizens were more likely to be hesitant about COVID-19 vaccines than migrants.
What are the main immunization barriers among migrants?
Reviews point to language, cost, registration, knowledge of services and time off work, alongside concerns about vaccine safety.
What does an evidence gap map add to a systematic review?
A map shows where studies exist across many questions at once; a systematic review answers one question in depth. The map often decides which review to do next.
References
- Alabdulla M, Reagu SM, Al-Khal A, Elzain M, Jones RM. COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and attitudes in Qatar: a national cross-sectional survey of a migrant-majority population. Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2021;15(3):361–370. https://doi.org/10.1111/irv.12847
- Crawshaw AF, Farah Y, Deal A, et al. Defining the determinants of vaccine uptake and undervaccination in migrant populations in Europe to improve routine and COVID-19 vaccine uptake: a systematic review. Lancet Infect Dis. 2022;22(9):e254–e266. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00066-4
- Wilson L, Rubens-Augustson T, Murphy M, et al. Barriers to immunization among newcomers: a systematic review. Vaccine. 2018;36(8):1055–1062. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.01.025
- Deal A, Crawshaw AF, Carter J, et al. Defining drivers of under-immunization and vaccine hesitancy in refugee and migrant populations. J Travel Med. 2023;30(5):taad084. https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taad084
- Rojas-Venegas M, Cano-Ibáñez N, Khan KS. Vaccination coverage among migrants: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Semergen. 2022;48(2):96–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semerg.2021.10.008
- White H, Albers B, Gaarder M, et al. Guidance for producing a Campbell evidence and gap map. Campbell Systematic Reviews. 2020;16(4):e1125. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1125
Update log
- Published by Pubrica
How to cite this article
Dr. Charlie. (2026, November 10). Vaccine Hesitancy Among Migrant Communities in Qatar: Scoping an Evidence Gap Map. Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/inside-the-lab/evidence-gap-map-vaccine-hesitancy-migrant-workers-qatar/
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