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Altruism and vaccination intentions: Evidence from behavioral experiments

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  • Cucciniello, Maria
  • Pin, Paolo
  • Imre, Blanka
  • Porumbescu, Gregory A.
  • Melegaro, Alessia

Abstract

Vaccine hesitancy has been on the rise throughout the past two decades, especially in high income countries where existing pro-vaccination public health communication strategies have proven ineffective. We argue that appealing to other-regarding preferences is one way of improving the effectiveness of public health communication strategies. To test this argument, we assess how vaccination intentions are influenced by the presence of people who cannot vaccinate, such as the immunosuppressed, newborns or pregnant women, using a laboratory experiment where there is a passive player whose welfare depends on the decisions of other, active players. Results suggest that pro-vaccine messages targeting altruism can increase vaccination intentions by: (i) invoking past experiences of dependence and vulnerability; (ii) stressing cooperation as a social norm; and (iii) emphasizing the presence of vulnerable individuals in a given society.

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  • Cucciniello, Maria & Pin, Paolo & Imre, Blanka & Porumbescu, Gregory A. & Melegaro, Alessia, 2022. "Altruism and vaccination intentions: Evidence from behavioral experiments," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:292:y:2022:i:c:s027795362100527x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114195
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Campos-Mercade, Pol & Meier, Armando N. & Schneider, Florian H. & Wengström, Erik, 2021. "Prosociality predicts health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
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    6. Böhm, Robert & Betsch, Cornelia & Korn, Lars, 2016. "Selfish-rational non-vaccination: Experimental evidence from an interactive vaccination game," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 131(PB), pages 183-195.
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    Cited by:

    1. Schmidtke, Kelly Ann & Kudrna, Laura & Noufaily, Angela & Stallard, Nigel & Skrybant, Magdalena & Russell, Samantha & Clarke, Aileen, 2022. "Evaluating the relationship between moral values and vaccine hesitancy in Great Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 308(C).
    2. Huang, Qian & Gilkey, Melissa B. & Thompson, Peyton & Grabert, Brigid K. & Dailey, Susan Alton & Brewer, Noel T., 2022. "Explaining higher Covid-19 vaccination among some US primary care professionals," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 301(C).
    3. Marcelino Pérez-Bermejo & Alexis Cloquell-Lozano & Carmen Moret-Tatay & Francisco Javier Arteaga-Moreno, 2022. "Social Vulnerability and COVID-19 Vaccine in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-7, October.
    4. Henrike Sternberg & Janina Isabel Steinert & Tim Büthe, 2023. "Compliance in the Public versus the Private Realm: Economic Preferences, Institutional Trust and COVID-19 Health Behaviors," Munich Papers in Political Economy 28, Munich School of Politics and Public Policy and the School of Management at the Technical University of Munich.
    5. Bussolo, Maurizio & Sarma, Nayantara & Torre, Iván, 2023. "The links between COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and non-pharmaceutical interventions," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 320(C).

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