There remains a significant proportion of the population whose resistance to vaccination will be difficult to change, regardless of what incentive we use .
Experts generally agree that a vaccination rate of at least 80% is needed among people 12 years and older to achieve enough herd immunity to stop larger outbreaks.
Possible incentives
There may be some easy "nudges" to influence the unencumbered. Of those who are unwilling or unsure about vaccination, an Australian survey finds that no more than 6% of those over 50 and no more than 16% of those between 18 and 49 say they are you can change an incentive such as a cash payment.
The chart below shows the responses of survey participants ages 18-49 for hypothetical $ 25, $ 50, and $ 100 cash incentives for getting vaccinated right away. Slightly more of the participants were willing to accept the $ 100 payment on the smaller cash amounts.
This suggests that many more people are unlikely to be willing to get vaccinated. If cash payments only work for a small proportion, what about other incentives? One option is a normal vaccine passport, allowing people who have been vaccinated to enjoy everyday activities, such as dining at a restaurant, attending a concert, or traveling. But this may not increase vaccination rates by more than a few percentage points.
Stronger legally binding restrictions could include absolute vaccination requirements for work, school, daycare, and movement within society. In principle, this is nothing new: children must be vaccinated in order to enroll in schools . However, the mandatory heavy-handed vaccination policies are liable to be challenged by some.
So a small percentage of people are probably not going to be able to get vaccinated. It is also likely that the unvaccinated will be at a much higher risk of disease, long-term medical consequences, and even death. They will bear these consequences as individuals.