Apparently there are proposals circulating to pay people to get vaccinated. (Summary here.) The pro/con story is familiar enough. Monetary incentives might increase the uptake rate; but they might also increase suspicion and backfire, or at least not be very effective. Given the large cost involved – the number cited in the linked article is ,000, which could cost well over a hundred billion depending on eligibility – a small increase in vaccination rates might not be worth it. Here is an alternative suggestive. When people get vaccinated, give them cash cards worth 0 that can only be used to purchase restaurant food for 10 days, beginning 5 days after they get vaccinated. The framing of this might be more positive than a simple cash
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Apparently there are proposals circulating to pay people to get vaccinated. (Summary here.) The pro/con story is familiar enough. Monetary incentives might increase the uptake rate; but they might also increase suspicion and backfire, or at least not be very effective. Given the large cost involved – the number cited in the linked article is $1,000, which could cost well over a hundred billion depending on eligibility – a small increase in vaccination rates might not be worth it.
Here is an alternative suggestive. When people get vaccinated, give them cash cards worth $100 that can only be used to purchase restaurant food for 10 days, beginning 5 days after they get vaccinated. The framing of this might be more positive than a simple cash incentive – we are paying you to go out and help jump start your local economy, especially the businesses that have been struggling so much in the epidemic. It helps to emphasize the pro-social aspect of getting vaccinated. Plus it would be much cheaper than giving everyone $1,000, and support from restaurants might help push it into the end zone in Congress.