COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a significant threat to the efforts that have been taken to combat the pandemic. This study assessed the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine among university students in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional online survey using a Google Form was conducted between 2 April and 23 April 2021. A snowball technique was used to recruit participants for this study. The final sample consisted of 407 participants. More than one-third of the participants (36.1%) had received the COVID-19 vaccine, and 13.3% had registered to receive the vaccine. Of the participants who were not yet vaccinated (n = 260), 90.4% indicated that they would like to be vaccinated when given the opportunity. Of the unvaccinated participants, 82.3% trusted the COVID-19 vaccines that had been provided in Saudi Arabia. The most reported reasons for the participants’ acceptance to receive the COVID-19 vaccine included preventive purposes (95.8%), a belief in the safety of the vaccines (84.3%), and the availability of public awareness information regarding the vaccines (77.3%). A small portion of participants (6.1%) were refusing to receive the vaccine due to the potential long-term side effects (92.0%) and expedited vaccine trials (80.0%). Acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine was strongly associated with participants who regularly received the flu vaccine (p < 0.05). All other demographic variables were not statistically associated with the acceptability of the COVID-19 vaccine. In conclusion, it would be appropriate for universities to launch peer programs to urge reluctant students to receive the vaccine voluntarily. In terms of further research, it is valuable to follow up with unvaccinated participants to investigate if they received the vaccine since the data were collected, and their reasons for doing so. This research would reveal changes toward vaccine acceptability over time and any related determinants. Future research should consider students from non-Arabic speaking backgrounds.

Despite recent improvements in attitudes toward mental illness, persistent stigma in some communities continues to negatively impact those affected. This study aimed to assess gender differences in attitudes toward mental illness among the Saudi community in Jizan. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and July 2024, enrolling 586 participants (267 males and 319 females) recruited using a non-probability convenience sampling from public places. Attitudes toward mental illness were assessed using the 40-item Community Attitudes toward Mental Illness (CAMI) scale, with negatively worded items reverse-coded. The 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles of the scale score were considered as cutoff points to describe low, medium, and high scores, respectively. Gender differences in the CAMI total score and its predefined subscales (Authoritarianism, Benevolence, Social Restrictiveness, and Community Mental Health Ideology) were examined using independent sample t-tests. Associations between demographic factors and attitudes toward mental illness were evaluated using multivariate linear regression (MLR), with regression models incorporating interaction terms to examine gender differences. The mean CAMI score for the participants was 107.16 ± 9.38, with males scoring significantly higher than females (108.64 ± 9.52 vs. 105.92 ± 9.10, p < 0.001 CI:1.20, 4.23), with a small effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.29, p < 0.001). Based on descriptive percentile-based cutoffs (≤ 101, 102–113, ≥ 114), more than half of the participants were classified as having moderate stigma (50.68%), with smaller proportions categorized as low (27.13%) and high (22.18%). Female participants showed a significantly more benevolent attitude toward individuals with mental illness than males (39.57 ± 4.61 vs. 38.72 ± 4.96, p = 0.033, CI: ‑1.62, -0.07), while males exhibited stronger social restrictiveness than females (25.74 ± 5.88 vs. 23.88 ± 5.24, p < 0.001, CI: 0.94, 2.72). No significant gender differences were observed in authoritarianism and community mental health ideology attitudes. Older and higher-educated males showed more negative attitudes, whereas being unmarried, unemployed, and having a low monthly income were significantly associated with the stigmatizing attitudes among female participants. This exploratory study revealed gender disparities in attitudes toward mental illness, underscoring the necessity of incorporating gender considerations in mental health awareness initiatives. Future research should focus on selected mental health conditions and targeted demographics to maximize intervention effectiveness. Future confirmatory studies with representative samples that focus on specific psychiatric disorders across populations with diverse characteristics are needed to enhance the effectiveness of anti-stigma interventions.