Christian Dubé Quebec vaccination lottery

Should we need a lottery to incentivize people to do the right thing?

Quebec public health is using a lottery to appeal to the 18 to 29 demographic.

A new study by Leger has taken a look at vaccine lottery programs, which some provinces in Canada and states in the U.S. have introduced to encourage people to get vaccinated. The vaccine lottery program in Quebec, for example, provides an opportunity to win $2-million in cash and scholarships to first and second dose recipients.

The study found that 50% of Canadians and 46% of Americans support using incentive programs like vaccine lotteries to encourage people to get vaccinated. Quebec was the province showing the highest approval of a vaccine lottery system, at 56%. The Atlantic provinces had the lowest approval, at 42%.

Younger Canadians and those living in more urban areas were also more likely to support vaccine lottery programs.

Should we need a vaccine lottery to incentivize people to do the right thing?

The Leger study also asked Canadians and Americans about vaccination passports and their levels of comfort regarding attending various events where unvaccinated people may be present.

Some key findings are as follows:

  • “Canadians (66%) are more likely than Americans (41%) to feel that those who get vaccinated should have greater freedoms than those who do not. 
  • “58% of Canadians and 37% of Americans support imposing a vaccine passport for all essential and non-essential activities. 
  • “Canadians and Americans would be most comfortable participating in outdoor activities, going to work and/or gatherings with their friends/family knowing unvaccinated people may be present.”

For the full list of results and methodology, please visit the Leger Marketing website.


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