Vaccination nudges: A study of pre-booked COVID-19 vaccinations in Sweden
Carl Bonander, Mats Ekman, Niklas Jakobsson
Abstract
A nudge changes people's actions without removing their options or altering their incentives. During the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the Swedish Region of Uppsala sent letters with pre-booked appointments to inhabitants aged 16-17 instead of opening up manual appointment booking. Using regional and municipal vaccination data, we document a higher vaccine uptake among 16- to 17-year-olds in Uppsala compared to untreated control regions (constructed using the synthetic control method as well as neighboring municipalities). The results highlight pre-booked appointments as a strategy for increasing vaccination rates in populations with low perceived risk.
Topics & Concepts
VaccinationCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)IncentiveEnvironmental health2019-20 coronavirus outbreakMedicineSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Nudge theoryPublic healthDemographyVirologyPsychologyOutbreakSociologyEconomicsNursingSocial psychologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)MicroeconomicsDiseasePathologyCOVID-19 epidemiological studiesVaccine Coverage and HesitancyInfluenza Virus Research Studies