Download This PaperA Mega-Study of Text-Message Nudges Encouraging Patients to Get Vaccinated at their Pharmacy
30 Pages Posted: 19 Feb 2021 Last revised: 24 May 2021
Date Written: February 5, 2021
Abstract
We partnered with Walmart to test 22 nudges designed to boost vaccination rates in their pharmacies. Nudges were delivered via text message to over 650,000 Walmart pharmacy patients in the fall of 2020 and encouraged patients to visit Walmart for a flu vaccine. We demonstrate that behaviorally informed messages increase pharmacy vaccination rates by an average of 6.7% over a roughly three-month follow-up period. The most effective messages in our field experiment matched the tone of typical pharmacy communications and reminded patients that a flu shot was waiting for them. These insights suggest that carefully crafted messages informed by the results of this study could nudge the adoption of other vaccines for other infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
Keywords: vaccination, COVID-19, nudge, influenza, field experiment
JEL Classification: I12
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Quoc Dang Hung Ho
University of Pennsylvania - Operations & Information Management Department ( email )
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States
Jillian Hmurovic
University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School ( email )
3641 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6365
United States
Maurice E. Schweitzer
University of Pennsylvania - Operations & Information Management Department ( email )
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States
215-898-4776 (Phone)
215-898-3664 (Fax)
Christophe Van den Bulte
University of Pennsylvania - Marketing Department ( email )
700 Jon M. Huntsman Hall
3730 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6340
United States
Kevin Volpp
University of Pennsylvania - Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Medicine ( email )
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States
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