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Now that the Covid-19 vaccine is about to be approved in Europe and the United States and the organizing machine is in place to make it available, the question arises as to whether people will be willing to inject it.
Near scientific problem its efficiency and reliability, ea the logistics distribution, the new vaccine also presents a formidable challenge at the communication level, so that people are convinced to use it.
International surveys and in Italy say that not all people will rush to get vaccinated as soon as they are given the opportunity, quite the contrary. Science teaches us that to achieve such an important herd immunity, a very high percentage of the population must be immune to viral infection. However, a survey by Ipsos Global Advisor estimated that globally, when adding individual countries, 26 percent of adults say they do not agree at all with receiving the Covid-19 vaccine (in Italy 34 percent); 37 percent say they quite agree (in Italy 29 percent), and only 37 percent are completely in favor (in Italy, the same percentage).
What to do? From a behavioral point of view, there are distinct but related issues that need to be addressed if the vaccination campaign is to have any hope of success.
First persuade to get the vaccine: if not all, at least some moderately opposed.
The second ensure that those who come out in favor of the vaccine follow up on their intentionsIn other words, you are at the time and place to roll up your shirt sleeve and give yourself the injection. After all, the entire history of pandemic containment and mitigation is just a matter of behavior.
By broadening our gaze, Covid-19 has put our cognitive limits and our emotional and motivational weaknesses under a magnifying glass. A dramatic and involuntary experiment on a planetary scale that has placed our behavior at the center of the scene. Ultimately, everything depends on them: Put on masks, wash your hands, stay away, and now that the time comes, get vaccinated..
Here, then, are the behavioral sciences (Behavioral Sciences), which is already an integral part of the policymaking of an increasing number of countries in different corners of the world and in Italy, still irresponsibly undervalued, can help us at this crucial juncture.
How to convince moderate opposites to get vaccinated?
Regarding the first problem, namely, the persuasion of skeptics, behavioral science suggests that we should not deal with the most staunch opponents of the vaccine (the so-called no-vax), because most likely we will not be able to overcome their ideological distrust in any case, at least not in the short time necessary to stop the pandemic.
We should rather focus on Promoting strategic and targeted communication to persuade the moderately opposites, the hesitant, and the lazy..
We will mainly consist of providing, from the beginning, information about the efficacy of the vaccine that is simple, understandable, transparent, unique and non-contradictory. The source of this information must be authorized and institutional, and unequivocally recognized as such.
But even the best information will still not be enough to promote the desired behaviors, if it is not accompanied by the so-called social proof. I notice that when people don’t know what to do, they tend to do what other people do; they look around them for clues and suggestions for the most appropriate course of action. To do this, it is necessary to emphasize from the beginning that the majority of people willing to get vaccinated, that is, they are about to do it (or have already done it) family, friends, acquaintances, public figures and of course doctors and scientific-health authorities.
Therefore, institutions and the media will have to emphasize broad adherence to the vaccination campaign instead of emphasizing the detractors. The more you can put the act of vaccination in the spotlight, the better it will be for everyone. And here what leader, testimony and fashion-makers can exert their influence. The more the act of vaccination is made public, the more we can eliminate the feeling of discomfort and fear associated with it..
This is true in the real world but also in the virtual world of friends and followers of social networks. The latter cannot be only places of negotiation and uncontrolled dissemination of fake news, nonsense and ideological confrontations; their potential for positive influence must also be harnessed. I highlight the case of Facebook, which on several occasions and in several countries has launched the I voted button during the elections, thus taking many people – especially young people – to the polls by emulation. Who knows it can’t help the same way a sticker as if I had been vaccinated together with the profile of our virtual friends to give us the push to leave home to do it too.
Not only that, but if in addition to being popular, the vaccine will also seem like a precious commodity because it is scarce (Hoping it really isn’t!) And therefore even more desirable, all the better. Scarcity is a common and banal trick that marketing uses to make the act of buying more urgent (if you’ve tried to book a hotel room on booking.com, you know what it is).
How to convince yourself of being (really) vaccinated?
The second problem is related to the first, but it is not so much about convincing people to get vaccinated as it is about making sure that, especially for those who doubt, the decision to do so is actually translated into action.
The gap between what we set out to do and what we actually managed to do one of the main waste factors (of time, money, health) in our life. Not only our limited mind, but also our will! A limit that you can understand immediately if you are also among those who pay not to go to the gym. That is, if you join a gym membership that you plan to exercise consistently and then fail to deliver on your intention due to laziness or inertia. A short circuit that lurks in our inability to look realistically at our future self; And that can thwart even the best vaccination campaign. An estimated two-thirds of those who report that they will exercise or have a medical checkup later don’t (not to mention diets).
Especially because, from what has been learned, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that will soon be available in Italy. they do not foresee a single administrationBut they will need a second booster dose a few weeks later, which obviously increases the risk that people will take the first dose and not follow through with the second.
So how can we help our best intentions to materialize? Here too the behavioral sciences offer guidance.
They invite us to go to EAST first. An acronym that suggests that if you want people to do something, you should make it easy (Easy), desirable (Attractive), popular (Social) and timely (Timely). Specifically, the vaccination campaign will be necessary more planning, organization and simplifications, and less bureaucracy.
In an ideal world there should be no need to fill out complicated forms, the vaccine must be free and available to all, readily available and quickly injected by recognizable qualified personnel.
With regard to the implementation of plans that do not materialize regularly or are postponed (going to the gym, going on a diet, donating blood, saving money), various interventions have been tried that have proven their worth in recent years. In general, it has been seen that the mental construction of a plan to implement the action is more likely to lead people to follow it (as a matter of coherence with themselves); As important as the plan is not vague, but precise, punctual and highly realistic (that day, on time, in that place, with a means of transport … I’m going to get the vaccine).
In this sense it may be appropriate send a letter home asking people to consider such a plan, as was done during the US elections with important results in getting more US citizens to the polls. A very recent survey also showed that informing people that they already have a scheduled flu vaccination appointment significantly increases adherence (up to 36 percent); more than reminding them to make an appointment. too remembering the appointment with a text message or a phone call (days before and until the last minute) showed an effectiveness of the order of 10 percent.
Finally, it should be noted that if the goal is to obtain a collaborative response from the citizenry, you will not have to force your hand for fear of mandatory vaccination: this will only increase fears, bad thoughts and doubts. Rather, it is necessary to create a plan inclined in the right direction, through transparent and authoritative communication, and above all by creating the conditions to simplify the most favorable course of action as much as possible.
* Matteo Motterlini Professor of Philosophy of Science at the Universit Vita-Salute San Raffaele University of Milan.
** Roberto Burioni, Professor of Microbiology and Virology at the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University in Milan
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