The report was published online on October 15 JAMA Health Forum.
Dr. Kevin Schulman, a professor of medicine at the Center for Clinical Achievement at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, thinks the lotteries are worth a try.
“Lotteries were an important tactic to try to increase vaccination at the state level. Many of the states that use lotteries were ‘red’ states, so I am grateful that the Republican leadership has begun to engage in vaccination efforts. is a communication strategy, “Shulman said.
Communication tactics need to be tested and evaluated to see if they are effective, Shulman added. “However, if a tactic fails, you need to take other approaches to communicating with vaccines. In many cases, the lottery was an effort, and when it didn’t have the desired effect, we didn’t see any follow-up with other programs,” he said.
Another expert is not surprised that offering money to people contrary to their beliefs does not work.
“Most people make healthy choices, weighing the risks, costs and benefits. In the case of vaccines, many people have chosen to be vaccinated because they value living a long, healthy life,” said Ivan Barankay. He is an associate professor of business economics and public policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
“Those who were not vaccinated were not subject to these valuable health benefits, so it seems illogical that the expected payments of a few dollars could convince them otherwise. The result is that small incentives do not affect health outcomes. , has been replicatively shown in many recent clinical trials, ”he explained.
Also, a recent randomized field experiment in Philadelphia that different vaccination incentives also showed no effect on vaccination rates, Barankay said.
“However, there are real socio-economic and cultural barriers that make people avoid vaccines based on their preferences or experience – but again, small dollars will not be able to cope with them,” he added.
This is the experience when we see friends, family and colleagues getting sick, and the mandate for vaccination gains leads to a vaccination rate that makes a difference, Barankai said.
“It is important to continue our efforts to show people real data from their communities about the level of hospitalization of vaccinated versus unvaccinated people and how mandates in companies reduce the number of COVID cases due to the increase in vaccination rates,” he said.