No-vaxxers are different in public good games.

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Economics
• Public Health
• Social Psychology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic prompted widespread vaccination campaigns globally.
• Understanding vaccine hesitancy is crucial for public health strategies.
• Behavioral factors may influence vaccine acceptance and public good contributions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the behavioral drivers of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Italy.
• To assess whether vaccine hesitant individuals exhibit different risk attitudes, public good contributions, or beliefs about others' behavior.
• To determine if vaccine hesitancy correlates with deviations from rational or other-regarding preferences.

Main Methods:

• A survey of 1482 individuals in Italy during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign (September 2021).
• Experimental economic games measuring risk attitudes, public good contributions, and beliefs about others' behavior.
• Classification of respondents into 'no-vaxxers' based on vaccination status and future intentions.

Main Results:

• Individuals hesitant about COVID-19 vaccination ('no-vaxxers') contributed less to a public good in an experimental game.
• This reduced contribution was associated with lower trust in others' willingness to contribute.
• No significant differences were found in rationality or other-regarding preferences between 'no-vaxxers' and the general population.

Conclusions:

• COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in this cohort was primarily driven by lower social trust, not by a lack of rationality or other-regarding preferences.
• Behavioral insights, particularly concerning trust, are important for addressing vaccine hesitancy.
• Public health interventions may need to address social trust to improve vaccine uptake.