Covid-19: what if you were paid to get vaccinated?

Let’s face it, money is a good source of motivation for us Homo economicus. Precisely, in this tense context of health crisis where the fact of being vaccinated or not is a big debate, researchers may be on a track.

In North Carolina, a pilot study conducted by researchers has indeed yielded results that are surprising to say the least. In return for remuneration, they have indeed observed an increase in the proportion of people’s motivation to be vaccinated. So to speak, the numbers have skyrocketed in this study.

Obviously, the goal is not to encourage you to adhere to such or such vision of things for the “good of the greatest number” in matters of public health. Only to present the results of the process objectively. With that, room for the conclusions of these researchers.

Cash to get yourself vaccinated or to vaccinate another person

As indicated, the study in question was carried out in North Carolina (United States). For two weeks, clinics offered $ 25, in the form of a credit card, to their patients if they wanted to be vaccinated against Covid. Likewise, if these latter brought other people to do so, they received the same retribution.

3000 credit cards were distributed as part of this program. And over the two weeks of the study, the clinics in question saw the number of vaccinations climb by 46%. In comparison, at the level of clinics in the region that did not use this method, the figures decreased by 10%.

A source of motivation for those who are still hesitating?

According to the researchers, 41% of people vaccinated as part of this pilot study said that the promised sum was their main motivation. A result observed particularly in the poorest patients. In fact, 10% of people indicated that they would never have thought of getting the vaccine if it weren’t for that $ 25.

For these researchers, money can thus become a sufficient reason to encourage people to be vaccinated, especially among the poorest. And possibly among young people who see it as an opportunity to easily make money. In spite of everything, the question remains unanswered with regard to other categories of the population.

Faced with such results, we do not know if the same approach will bear fruit in other States, temper the researchers. Despite everything, it may be a lead for a vaccine strategy. Especially in countries that still face strong vaccine skepticism.