Pre-Booked Vaccination Appointments as a Nudge: Evidence from a Nationwide Intervention

Jakob Moeller (), Martin Halla () and Tobias Thomas ()
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Jakob Moeller: Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
Martin Halla: Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU)
Tobias Thomas: Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO), Vienna

No 2026-10, Graz Economics Papers from University of Graz, Department of Economics

Abstract: We study the effect of pre-booked COVID-19 vaccination appointments using a nationwide campaign in Austria. Leveraging administrative microdata on more than 450000 initially unvaccinated adults, we exploit cross-state variation in program participation and staggered appointment timing in a difference-in-differences design. Pre-booked appointments increase vaccination on the appointment day by 0.8 percentage points (8 per 1000), with no evidence of intertemporal substitution. Effects are larger for socio-economically disadvantaged individuals and substantially weaker in areas with stronger vaccine skepticism. The findings suggest that behavioral interventions are effective when low uptake reflects frictions, but have limited impact when driven by entrenched skepticism.

Keywords: Behavioral public policy; behavioral frictions; vaccine hesitancy; nudges; pre-booked appointments; COVID-19; administrative data (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 D83 D91 H51 I12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-06
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