TY - JOUR
T1 - Addressing vaccine hesitancy using local ambassadors
T2 - A randomized controlled trial in Indonesia
AU - Islam, Asad
AU - Kusnadi, Gita
AU - Rezki, Jahen
AU - Sim, Armand
AU - van Empel, Giovanni
AU - Vlassopoulos, Michael
AU - Zenou, Yves
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s)
PY - 2024/4
Y1 - 2024/4
N2 - In settings where resistance and rampant misinformation against vaccines exist, the prospect of containing infectious diseases remains a challenge. Can delivery of information regarding the benefits of vaccination through personal home visits by local ambassadors increase vaccine uptake? We conduct a door-to-door randomized information campaign targeted towards COVID-19 unvaccinated individuals in rural Indonesia. We recruited ambassadors from local villages tasked to deliver information about COVID-19 vaccines and promote vaccination through one-on-one meetings, using an interpersonal behavioral change communication approach. To investigate which type of ambassador – health cadres, influential individuals, and laypersons – is the most effective, we randomly vary the type of ambassador that delivers the information at the village level. We find that the overall vaccination take-up is quite moderate and that there are no differences in vaccination outcomes across the treatment groups. These results highlight the challenge of boosting vaccine uptake in late stages of a pandemic.
AB - In settings where resistance and rampant misinformation against vaccines exist, the prospect of containing infectious diseases remains a challenge. Can delivery of information regarding the benefits of vaccination through personal home visits by local ambassadors increase vaccine uptake? We conduct a door-to-door randomized information campaign targeted towards COVID-19 unvaccinated individuals in rural Indonesia. We recruited ambassadors from local villages tasked to deliver information about COVID-19 vaccines and promote vaccination through one-on-one meetings, using an interpersonal behavioral change communication approach. To investigate which type of ambassador – health cadres, influential individuals, and laypersons – is the most effective, we randomly vary the type of ambassador that delivers the information at the village level. We find that the overall vaccination take-up is quite moderate and that there are no differences in vaccination outcomes across the treatment groups. These results highlight the challenge of boosting vaccine uptake in late stages of a pandemic.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Health behaviors
KW - Indonesia
KW - Misinformation
KW - Vaccine hesitancy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85183933703&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2024.104683
DO - 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2024.104683
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85183933703
SN - 0014-2921
VL - 163
JO - European Economic Review
JF - European Economic Review
M1 - 104683
ER -