The Real Incentive for Covid Vaccines Must be Beer! By James Reed
Various incentives are being offered across the West for people to get the Covid jab, with research showing that incentives are far more likely to produce compliance that the “stick.” Biden is offering cash, some US states, where it is legal, dope. But for Australia, as I see it through blood-shot eyes, there is only one real thing to get the punters out to receive the spiked proteins, and that is beer, and plenty of it. Beer, glorious beer, glorious beer! Oh, Victorian bitter of course, not the lolly water served up in South Australia!
Scott Morrison will pursue “freedom incentives” ahead of cash payments under the national cabinet’s four-phase reopening plan, with new research commissioned by the federal government warning that large financial incentives and lotteries have had “little to no impact on longer-term vaccination rates”.
The government received advice last week outlining the merits of financial incentives as other countries, including the US and Britain, announced inducements to maintain the momentum of their vaccination programs.
The research — prepared by the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government, led by the Health Department and officials at Prime Minister and Cabinet – concluded that financial incentives were “unlikely to drive vaccine uptake in Australia”.
Instead, the government will likely prioritise non-financial incentives, including partnering with businesses to provide discounts and frequent flyer point bonuses, ahead of a US-style cash approach. Joe Biden said last week $100 should be paid to people who were fully vaccinated.
There were 220 new Covid-19 cases recorded on Monday – 207 in Greater Sydney and 13 in Queensland, where the government extended a lockdown across the state’s southeast until Sunday.
Health officials also declared 11 southeast Queensland local government areas as commonwealth hot spots, recommending vaccines be made available to vulnerable children as young as 12.
Ahead of vaccine supply ramping up in September, the government is examining a range of incentive options considered crucial for Australia to progress to the second and third phases of national cabinet’s reopening plan, requiring 70 and 80 per cent vaccine coverage.
Anthony Albanese on Tuesday will put forward a $6bn vaccine plan which proposes a $300 payment to all Australians who get vaccinated by December 1.
The Opposition Leader said Labor’s proposal would deliver a “much-needed shot in the arm for businesses and workers struggling from lockdowns made necessary by the Morrison government’s failures with the vaccine rollout”. “These payments will deliver significant cash stimulus for businesses who have paid the price for Scott Morrison’s failures on vaccines and quarantine for the past eighteen months,” Mr Albanese said.
The BETA research said financial incentives could set an “expensive precedent for future vaccine strategies”.
“Offering financial incentives may be effective in increasing vaccine uptake if the monetary value is immediate, very high and guaranteed (one experiment found an incentive of over 3000 euros would be required),” it reads.
“But financial incentives also run the risk of increasing people’s risk perceptions if it’s construed people have to be ‘paid’ to get the vaccine … Financial incentives can also be costly as, in order to be fair, they need to include all vaccinated people – not just those who become vaccinated after the reward is introduced.”
Relaxing restrictions for vaccinated people, rather than financial incentives, was identified as a successful tool for governments with vaccination rates in France spiking after Emmanuel Macron on July 12 threatened to restrict access to public places for unvaccinated residents. “ ‘Returning to normal’ and the ability to travel are strong motivators for many,” the report said. “Providing vaccinated people with personal freedoms, and restricting the freedoms of those who aren’t, is likely to drive vaccine uptake. Examples could include attending large public events (sporting events and music festivals) and expanded travel options.”
The Prime Minister said on Monday that when the country moved to the second phase of national cabinet’s reopening plan, exemptions from health restrictions would likely be provided for fully-vaccinated residents.
“It’s exemptions that would apply to people who are vaccinated because they’ve taken the step to reduce their risk to other people and to themselves,” Mr Morrison said. “Where people have taken those steps, well, clearly it’s just common sense that they can be exempted from restrictions that would be necessary for those who haven’t got that protection and are very vulnerable.”
Mr Albanese said the government’s vaccination program had failed. “(The government) needs to use every measure at its disposal to protect Australians and our economy,” the Opposition Leader said.
The BETA report said: “Incentives make a difference by enhancing the perceived benefits of the vaccine (or increasing the costs of not vaccinating).
“This should be the primary consideration when considering the design of an incentive program. Incentives provide people with an additional and more immediate benefit. For some, incentives make the benefits of vaccination to outweigh its risks, thereby encouraging vaccination behaviour.”
“An incentive may also serve as an additional cue to action by signalling appropriate behaviour. This should be a secondary consideration. Small incentives are not sufficient to directly influence this complex decision process.”
The British government on the weekend announced incentives to drive vaccine take-up among younger residents, with Uber, Deliveroo and other businesses offering discounts for vaccinated customers.
The BETA research examined the effect of Covid-19 vaccine lotteries adopted by some US states, including California and Ohio.
“The number of Californians getting their first vaccine dose increased modestly the day after (Governor Gavin) Newsom announced the vaccine lottery but continued to mostly decline after that,” it said.
“Several US states have conducted lotteries to incentivise residents to get vaccinated. These have only begun in the last few months and rigorous evaluations have yet to be conducted. Early analysis of the Ohio and California lotteries showed they had little or no impact … Some announcements also coincided with more people becoming eligible to receive the vaccine, so it is unclear whether the lotteries simply brought forward those who always planned to get vaccinated, rather than swaying people who were undecided.”
I am sure that alcohol will get over most of these problems. And, if there are adverse effects, being sloshed will mean that one will not suffer as much. It is all good.
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