Repeated information of benefits reduce COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy: Experimental evidence from Germany

Abstract

Background: Many countries, such as Germany, struggle tovaccinate enough people against COVID-19 despite the availability ofsafe and efficient vaccines. With new variants emerging and the need for booster vaccinations, overcoming vaccination hesitancy gains importance. The research todate has revealed some promising, albeit contentious, interventionstoincrease vaccination intention. However, these have yet tobe tested for their effectiveness inincreasing vaccination rates. Methods&results: We conducted apreregistered survey experiment with N=1,324 participants inGermany in May/June 2021. This was followed by aseries ofemails reminding participants toget vaccinated inAugust and concluded with afollow-up survey inSeptember. We experimentally assess whether debunking vaccination myths, highlighting the benefits ofbeing vaccinated, orsending vaccination reminders decreases hesitancy. Inthe survey experiment, we find no increase inthe intention tovaccinate regardless ofthe information provided. However, communicating vaccination benefits over several weeks reduced the likelihood ofnot being vaccinated by 9percentage points, which translates into a 27% reduction compared tothe control group. Debunking vaccination myths and reminders alone also decreased the likelihood, yet not significantly. Discussion: Our findings suggest that ifsoft governmental interventions such as information campaigns are employed, highlighting benefits should be given preference over debunking vaccination myths. Furthermore, itseems that repeated messages affect vaccination action while onetime messages might be insufficient, even for increasing vaccination intentions. Our study highlights the importance oftesting interventions outside ofsurvey experiments that are limited tomeasuring vaccination intentions—not actions—and immediate changes inattitudes and intentions—not long-term changes.