COVID-19 Vaccine Messaging, Part 1

Persuasive Messages for COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake: a Randomized Controlled Trial, Part 1

This study tests different messages about vaccinating against COVID-19 once the vaccine becomes available. Participants are randomized to 1 of 12 arms, with one control arm and one baseline arm. We will compare the reported willingness to get a COVID-19 vaccine at 3 and 6 months of it becoming available between the 10 intervention arms to the 2 control arms.

Study participants are recruited online by Lucid, which matches census based sampling in online recruitment.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: COVID-19; Vaccination
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Control message; Other: Baseline message; Other: Personal freedom message; Other: Economic freedom message; Other: Self-interest message; Other: Community interest message; Other: Economic benefit message; Other: Guilt message; Other: Embarrassment message; Other: Anger message; Other: Trust in science message; Other: Not bravery message

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 4000
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Connecticut
    • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06510
      • Yale University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• At least 18 years of age
• US resident

Exclusion Criteria:

• Younger than 18 years of age
• Non-US resident
• Do not consent

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

12

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Sham Comparator: Control; Control message about birdfeeding	Other: Control message; 2/15 of the sample will be assigned to the pure control group, which is a passage on the costs and benefits of bird feeding.
Active Comparator: Baseline message; These participants will be assigned a message about the benefits of vaccination. All other treatment arms include this baseline language.	Other: Baseline message; 3/15 of the sample will be assigned to a control group with a message about the effectiveness and safety of vaccines.
Experimental: Personal freedom; Experimental message arm.	Other: Personal freedom message; 1/15 of the sample will be assigned to this intervention, which is a message about how COVID-19 is limiting people's personal freedom and by working together to get enough people vaccinated society can preserve its personal freedom.
Experimental: Economic freedom; Experimental message arm.	Other: Economic freedom message; 1/15 of the sample will be assigned to this intervention, which is a message about how COVID-19 is limiting peoples's economic freedom and by working together to get enough people vaccinated society can preserve its economic freedom.
Experimental: Social benefit, self-interest; Experimental message arm.	Other: Self-interest message; 1/15 of the sample will be assigned to this intervention, which is a message that COVID-19 presents a real danger to one's health, even if one is young and healthy. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best way to prevent oneself from getting sick.
Experimental: Social benefit, community interest; Experimental message arm.	Other: Community interest message; 1/15 of the sample will be assigned to this intervention, which is a message about the dangers of COVID-19 to the health of loved ones. The more people who get vaccinated against COVID-19, the lower the risk that one's loved ones will get sick. Society must work together and all get vaccinated.
Experimental: Economic benefit; Experimental message arm.	Other: Economic benefit message; 1/15 of the sample will be assigned to this group, which is a message about how COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on the economy and the only way to strengthen the economy is to work together to get enough people vaccinated.
Experimental: Social pressure- guilt; Experimental message arm.	Other: Guilt message; 1/15 of the sample will be assigned to this message. The message is about the danger that COVID-19 presents to the health of one's family and community. The best way to protect them is by getting vaccinated and society must work together to get enough people vaccinated. Then it asks the participant to imagine the guilt they will feel if they don't get vaccinated and spread the disease.
Experimental: Social pressure- embarrassment; Experimental message arm.	Other: Embarrassment message; 1/15 of the sample will be assigned to this message. The message is about the danger that COVID-19 presents to the health of one's family and community. The best way to protect them is by getting vaccinated and by working together to make sure that enough people get vaccinated. Then it asks the participant to imagine the embarrassment they will feel if they don't get vaccinated and spread the disease.
Experimental: Social pressure- anger; Experimental message arm.	Other: Anger message; 1/15 of the sample will be assigned to this message. The message is about the danger that COVID-19 presents to the health of one's family and community. The best way to protect them is by getting vaccinated and by working together to make sure that enough people get vaccinated. Then it asks the participant to imagine the anger they will feel if they don't get vaccinated and spread the disease.
Experimental: Trust in science; Experimental message arm.	Other: Trust in science message; 1/15 of the sample will be assigned to this message about how getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the most effective way of protecting one's community. Vaccination is backed by science. If one doesn't get vaccinated that means that one doesn't understand how infections are spread or who ignores science.
Experimental: Not bravery arm; Experimental message arm.	Other: Not bravery message; 1/15 of the sample will be assigned to this message which describes how firefighters, doctors, and front line medical workers are brave. Those who choose not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 are not brave.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Intention to get COVID-19 vaccine	This is a self reported measure, immediately after the intervention message, of the likelihood of getting a COVID-19 vaccination within 3 months and then 6 months of it becoming available. During analysis, responses among those assigned to different intervention messages will be compared to those in the control group.	Immediately after intervention, in the same survey in which the intervention message is provided

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Vaccine confidence scale	This is a validated scale. This scale will be used to assess the impact of the messages on vaccine confidence. (Outcome assessed only for the half of the sample that answers these items post-treatment)	Immediately after intervention, in the same survey in which the intervention message is provided
Persuade others item	This is a measure of a willingness to persuade others to take the COVID-19 vaccine.	Immediately after intervention, in the same survey in which the intervention message is provided
Fear of those who have not been vaccinated	This is a measure of a comfort with an unvaccinated individual visiting an elderly friend after a vaccine becomes available	Immediately after intervention, in the same survey in which the intervention message is provided
Social judgment of those who do not vaccinate	This is a scale composed of 4 items measuring the trustworthiness, selfishness, likeableness, and competence of those who choose not to get vaccinated after a vaccine becomes available	Immediately after intervention, in the same survey in which the intervention message is provided

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Yale University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• James EK, Bokemper SE, Gerber AS, Omer SB, Huber GA. Persuasive messaging to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake intentions. Vaccine. 2021 Dec 3;39(49):7158-7165. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.10.039. Epub 2021 Oct 22.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 3, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 8, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): July 8, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 2, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 6, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): July 7, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 5, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2022
• Last Verified: April 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: messaging
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Coronavirus Infections; Coronaviridae Infections; Nidovirales Infections; RNA Virus Infections; Virus Diseases; Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia; Lung Diseases; COVID-19
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2000027983

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Yes
• IPD Plan Description: Anonymized data and analysis code will be posted in a public replication archive after publication.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: After publication
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Anonymized data and analysis code will be posted in a public replication archive
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: Study Protocol; Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP); Informed Consent Form (ICF); Analytic Code

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No