The report was published online on October 15 in JAMA health forum.
Dr. Kevin Schulman, professor of medicine at Stanford University’s Clinical Excellence Research Center in Palo Alto, California, says lotteries were worth trying.
“Lotteries were important tactics in trying to increase vaccination at the state level. Many of the states that introduced lotteries were “red” states, so I’m grateful that the Republican leadership has started looking into vaccination efforts. In the end, a tactic isn’t a communication strategy, “Schulman said.
Communication tactics should be tested and evaluated to see if they are effective, Schulman added. “However, if one tactic fails, you need to implement other approaches to vaccine communication. In many cases the lottery was a single attempt, and when it didn’t have the intended effect, we saw no follow-up with other programs.” ,” he said.
Another expert isn’t surprised that offering people money to break their beliefs doesn’t work.
“Most people make health decisions weighing the risks, costs, and benefits. In the case of vaccines, many choose to be vaccinated because they value a long, healthy life, ”said Iwan Barankay. He is an Associate Professor of Business Administration and Public Policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia
“Those who did not get vaccinated were unaffected by these valuable health benefits, so it seems illogical that a few dollars in expected payouts could convince them otherwise. The finding that small incentives do not affect health outcomes has been shown to be reproducible in several recent clinical trials, ”he explained.
A recent randomized field experiment in Philadelphia that found various incentives to vaccinate also showed no impact on vaccination rates, Barankay said.
“However, there are real socio-economic and cultural barriers that drive people to avoid vaccines based on their preferences or experiences – but again, small amounts of dollars will not be able to remove them,” he added.
It’s the experience of seeing friends, family, and coworkers get sick, and the advances that vaccination regulations bring with vaccination rates that make a difference, Barankay said.
“It is important to continue efforts to show people real data from their communities on hospitalization rates of vaccinated versus unvaccinated people and how corporate mandates are reducing COVID case numbers due to an increase in vaccination rates,” he said.