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The Effect of Information From Black Health Care Professionals on COVID Vaccination Take‐Up

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  • Martin Abel
  • Tanya Byker
  • Jeffrey Carpenter

Abstract

This study experimentally tests the impact of providing information about vaccine safety and efficacy delivered by Black health care professionals. We find that providing general information increases vaccination rates after 5 months by 8 percentage points (17%), driven by a 9.8 pp (24%) increase among white participants. Political affiliation emerges as a key moderator to explain this discordant effect. Across race, general information is more effective for politically moderate and conservative respondents, most of whom are white. Among this most vaccine‐hesitant group, the information effectively addresses concerns about both side effects and unknown long‐run effects due to the fast approval of the vaccine, increasing vaccination rates by 14 pp.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Abel & Tanya Byker & Jeffrey Carpenter, 2025. "The Effect of Information From Black Health Care Professionals on COVID Vaccination Take‐Up," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(11), pages 2072-2096, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:34:y:2025:i:11:p:2072-2096
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.70020
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Marcella Alsan & Marianne Wanamaker, 2018. "Tuskegee and the Health of Black Men," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 133(1), pages 407-455.
    2. Marcella Alsan & Sarah Eichmeyer, 2024. "Experimental Evidence on the Effectiveness of Nonexperts for Improving Vaccine Demand," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 16(1), pages 394-414, February.
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    6. Armand, Alex & Augsburg, Britta & Bancalari, Antonella & Kameshwara, Kalyan Kumar, 2026. "Corrigendum to “Religious proximity and misinformation: Experimental evidence from a mobile phone-based campaign in India” [Journal of Health Economics Volume 96, June 2024, 102883]," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
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