Paying people for getting vaccinated? A favorable solution for both vaccine-hesitant persons and the public

Abstract

Assume a pandemic in which, despite all efforts of vaccine persuasion, too many people are hesitant toward vaccination for a laissez-faire regime to reach herd immunity on a strictly voluntary basis. Then, basically four policy options are available—(a) moral appeals, (b) legal obligation, (c) monetary fines, and (d) monetary rewards. In this article, we demonstrate that the prevalent vaccination debate chooses the wrong starting point in discussing these options. Rather than asking how vaccine hesitancy can be overcome as a (bothersome) hindrance toward reaching herd immunity, we ask how one can reach herd immunity in due time while minimizing the (subjectively perceived) offense to the dignity of vaccine-hesitant citizens. This change in perspective favors paying people for getting vaccinated instead of sanctioning them for not doing so. With respect to the COVID-19 crisis, we show that a payment strategy is both feasible and advisable. This may be an important insight not only in the short term, but also with respect to future pandemics that are likely to come.