Vaccination for adults and their children: insights from survey and experimental data

TL;DR

This study explores how personality traits influence vaccination decisions in adults and parents of children, using surveys and experiments.

Contribution

The study combines survey and experimental data to improve the validity of behavioral insights on vaccination decisions.

Findings

High prosociality increases the likelihood of receiving the first vaccine dose in both the general public and students.

Parental decisions for child vaccination are linked to higher risk-taking and lower omission bias, not prosocial preferences.

Abstract

Vaccines are widely acknowledged as one of the most efficient and effective strategies for preventing diseases. This study, based on two waves of public survey data and complemented by incentivized experiments, investigates how behavioral preferences shape actual decisions to receive COVID-19 vaccinations. By combining these methods, the research aims to enhance both internal and external validity. Our findings indicate that individuals with elevated levels of prosociality show a greater propensity to receive the initial dose of the vaccine, a pattern that holds across both the general public and university students. In contrast, parental decisions regarding child vaccination are significantly associated with greater risk taking and lower omission bias, but not with prosocial preferences.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13561-025-00685-w.

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