Decision to Get Influenza Vaccination: A Behavioral Economic Approach

Abstract

The aims of this study were to identify predictors regarding people’s willingness to be vaccinated against influenza and to determine how to improve the inoculation rate using our original large-scale survey in the USA in 2005. The main results are (a) a model of bounded rationality explains vaccination behavior fairly well, i.e., people evaluate the costs and benefits of vaccination by applying risk aversion and time preference, while the ‘status quo bias’ of those who received vaccinations in the past affect their decision to be vaccinated in the future, (b) it is recommended to increase people’s knowledge regarding flu vaccination, but not regarding influenza illness, (c) reducing the vaccination fee may be ineffective in raising the rate of vaccination.