As Minnesota offers scholarships for shots, study says vaccine lotteries don’t work

DENVER (KVRR) – According to a study led by the University of Colorado Denver, states that used lotteries to entice residents to get COVID-19 vaccines had little or no effect on vaccination rates.

“Statistically speaking, our research points to a disappointing outcome” according to Dr. Andrew Friedson, associate professor of economics.  “There was no significant association found between a cash-drawing announcement and the number of vaccinations administered after the announcement date.”

The University’s findings were released just before Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that the state will offer $200 gift cards and a chance to win one of five $100,000 scholarships as incentives for students ages 12-17 to get vaccinated.

Young people who complete their vaccine series over the next six weeks will be eligible for Visa gift cards. All Minnesotans ages 12-17 who’ve completed their vaccine series by mid-December are eligible for the scholarships, which will be good at any public or private nonprofit school in the state.

UC Colorado says Friedson and collaborators at Bentley University, San Diego State University and the University of Oregon looked at the number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered per 1,000 people, both before and after the lotteries were announced in 19 states.

When they compared data to the number of COVID-19 vaccines administered in states that did not announce a lottery/cash incentive, there was essentially “zero difference” in vaccination rates in states that held a lottery compared to  those that did not.

Friedson noted that direct cash payments or giveaways may be more effective because people prefer a “guaranteed positive outcome.”