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Studies confirm that among Americans who are not yet vaccinated or boosted against COVID-19, incentives can help move the needle
Last year, we conducted a survey1 to better understand how incentives could encourage Americans who had not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine to do so. The research found that 66% of respondents who had not yet received the COVID-19 vaccine would accept money from their employer or the government for getting the vaccine. Of those respondents who would accept a monetary incentive, 44% would accept $100 or less.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention2 , only 65% of the U.S. population has completed the COVID-19 vaccination process, and only 45% has received the COVID-19 booster. This means there are still hundreds of millions of Americans for whom vaccinations and boosters are an option as the pandemic lingers on and more variants emerge.
Many of our clients and partners ranging from businesses to government agencies have reached out to us once again this year to learn more about whether incentives can drive boosters now that they are available.
Our newest research3 of more than 3,000 Americans found that among respondents who have not yet received the COVID booster and are open to it or on the fence, 66% could be interested in receiving a monetary incentive from their employer to get it. And among those for whom money would be an acceptable incentive, 60% would accept $100 or less—an even higher rate than those who would accept $100 or less for the first vaccine(s).
Workplace safety concerns are very much still present, and we don’t expect that to change as variants continue to emerge. Our research found that more than a quarter of respondents prefer to work remotely so they can distance from others during the pandemic,” said Jeff Haughton, SVP, Incentives, Corporate Development & Strategy at Blackhawk Network. “Many employers are navigating the murky waters of return-to-work vaccination policies, and are trying to create safe physical workplaces-all hot-button issues. This research strongly suggests that relatively inexpensive incentives will help motivate people effectively to get fully vaccinated-which makes sense since it is a gentler solution that better empowers them to make their own decisions. In this jobseeker’s market where employee workplace satisfaction is highly important, employers can use this research as a roadmap to drive employee action in a more positive way.”
1 The “COVID-19 Vaccine Incentives June 2021” report is based on the combined findings of two internet-based surveys conducted by Survey Monkey on behalf of Blackhawk Network between June 25–28, 2021. The sample size included 3,138 U.S. respondents ages 18+.
2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID Data Tracker was accessed March 2022.
3 “Workplace Arrangements, Rewards, and Engagement Survey” is an internet-based survey conducted by Survey Monkey on behalf of Blackhawk Network between February 25, 2022 and March 1, 2022. The sample size included 3,278 U.S. respondents ages 18+.
