Cognitive ability, health policy, and the dynamics of COVID-19 vaccination

Mikael Elinder, Oscar Erixson and Mattias Öhman

Journal of Health Economics, 2023, vol. 91, issue C

Abstract: We examine the relationship between cognitive ability and prompt COVID-19 vaccination using individual-level data on more than 700,000 individuals in Sweden. We find a strong positive association between cognitive ability and swift vaccination, which remains even after controlling for confounding variables with a twin-design. The results suggest that the complexity of the vaccination decision may make it difficult for individuals with lower cognitive abilities to understand the benefits of vaccination. Consistent with this, we show that simplifying the vaccination decision through pre-booked vaccination appointments alleviates almost all of the inequality in vaccination behavior.

Keywords: Intelligence; Vaccination; COVID-19; Nudge; Administrative data; Twin-design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:91:y:2023:i:c:s0167629623000796

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2023.102802

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