Adolescents and young adults in general viewed COVID-19 vaccine incentive programs favorably, although a significant portion also expressed concern, according to a national text-based survey.
Of the more than 1,100 young people who responded to a survey of these programs, which may include college scholarships, lottery tickets, cash payments, or event tickets, 82% thought the incentives were a “good idea” or at least positive in some way. , but 28% said they were not or expressed concern, said Caroline Hogan, MD, of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and colleagues at the JAMA Open Network.
“For these incentive programs, it will be important to analyze the trends in youth vaccination after its implementation, as well as the attitudes of young people towards incentives, to determine whether they have the desired impact on public health,” he said. Hogan in a press release.
The majority of study participants (79%) stated that they were aware of the existence of incentive programs for vaccination, although only 7% said that they influenced their decision about vaccination. However, when asked what could encourage any unvaccinated person to get vaccinated, 21% of respondents mentioned incentives. Another 21% said more vaccine testing, safety data or regulation could be a motivating factor for unvaccinated people.
The survey was conducted over a 1-week period in October 2021 and was sent to 1,206 participants via MyVoice, a text-based survey platform. Participants were paid $ 1 for their answers to the questions.
Respondents had a mean age of 20 years, 68% reported being non-Hispanic whites, and 59% said they were male (the last two are overrepresentations based on national averages).
The survey received 1,125 responses from 14- to 24-year-old participants to whom five open-ended questions were sent, with thematically analyzed responses:
- Have you heard of the incentives to get the COVID-19 vaccine (lotteries, scholarships, free supplies, etc.)? If so, what did you hear about?
- Do you think incentives are a good idea? Why or why not?
- Did an incentive influence your decision to get vaccinated? Tell us.
- If you have not been vaccinated against COVID-19, what will you need to get vaccinated?
- If someone you know has not been vaccinated, what would they need to get vaccinated?
When asked if vaccines are a good idea, 70% said yes, 16% said no, and 12% said “yes and no.” Sample responses included, “Yes, it can motivate people”; “No, it seems incomplete”; and “Yes, but I think you might as well send the wrong message.” The other 3% said they were unsure whether the incentives were good or not.
Of the 305 respondents who expressed skepticism about the incentives (“no” and “yes and no” groups), 21% cited ethical concerns, comparing them to “bribery”; 17% said they created wrong motivations to get vaccinated, 13% said they have “decreased confidence” in the vaccines themselves along with the institutions that promote them, and 11% said they were unfair to those who were vaccinated without incentives.
“Policy makers and researchers should consider the perspectives of young people on COVID-19 vaccine incentives, along with the ethical implications of offering incentives to children who cannot independently consent to vaccination or vaccination. participation in incentive programs, “concluded Hogan’s group.
Although vaccination status against COVID-19 was not included as part of the participants’ questions, 80% offered voluntary information that they had received at least the first dose, a potential limitation of the study, as that this puts the selected group of participants at a higher vaccination rate. than the national average of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years (69.5% have received a dose) and adults aged 18 to 24 years (78.5%).
“Unvaccinated respondents may have substantially different opinions about incentives compared to their vaccinated counterparts,” wrote Hogan and co-authors. “In relation, because our study provides monetary incentives for participation, it is possible that the cohort is skewed toward those who are motivated by incentives, no matter how small.”
Disclosures
The study was funded in part by the National Program for Clinical Scholars at the University of Michigan and the Susan B. Meister Center for Child Health Assessment and Research. MyVoice’s research is supported by the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research, the University of Michigan’s MCubed program, and the University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine.
Hogan reported that he served as president of the advocacy campaign for the American Academy of Pediatrics Pediatric Student Section. The co-authors had no disclosures.