57. Which Incentives Are Best at Boosting Vaccination, and Why?

The podcast explores effective methods for encouraging vaccination, particularly focusing on the impact of personalized text messages. A study revealed that texts indicating a vaccine dose is reserved for the recipient significantly increased uptake, possibly due to the psychology of defaults, a sense of personal attention, or loss aversion. The discussion considers the role of caring as an incentive and how healthcare settings can foster personal connections between doctors and patients. The conversation also debates the use of larger financial incentives like lotteries, weighing their potential benefits against the risk of creating vaccine hesitancy. Additionally, the hosts discuss whether having the power of invisibility is more evil than having the power to fly.