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Economic Preferences Predict COVID-19 Vaccination Intentions and Behavior
Silvia Angerer1, Helena Antonie Baier2, Daniela Glätzle-Rützler3
1UMIT TIROL-Private University for Health Sciences and Health Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria.
Health Economics
|July 30, 2026
Summary
Patience and trust strongly correlate with COVID-19 vaccination readiness in Germany. Altruism and risk-taking showed no consistent links, highlighting the importance of understanding economic preferences for public health behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing vaccine uptake is crucial for managing pandemics.
- Economic preferences may play a role in health-related decision-making, including vaccination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between key economic preferences and COVID-19 vaccination readiness.
- To examine the influence of altruism, patience, risk-taking, and trust on vaccination decisions in a large German population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two representative German population samples (N > 5000).
- Employed validated survey questions to measure economic preferences (altruism, patience, risk-taking, trust).
- Analyzed the association between these preferences and self-reported vaccination readiness.
Main Results:
- Found significant positive associations between vaccination readiness and both patience and trust.
- The positive link between altruism and vaccination readiness disappeared when controlling for other preferences.
- No consistent relationship was observed between risk-taking and vaccination readiness.
Conclusions:
- Patience and trust are key economic drivers of COVID-19 vaccination readiness.
- The interconnectedness of economic preferences is vital for accurate behavioral analysis.
- Findings emphasize the need to consider individual economic traits in public health interventions.
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