Vaccinating to Help Ourselves and Others
Vaccinating to Help Ourselves and Others
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DOI：
10.1177/0272989x11427762
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发表时间：
2012-05-01
影响因子：
3.6
通讯作者：
Chapman, Gretchen B.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Vietri, Jeffrey T.;Li, Meng;Chapman, Gretchen B.
背景。许多行为不仅影响自己，也影响他人。疫苗接种对每个个体的效用取决于群体免疫力，即个体疫苗接种决策的累积结果。然而，对他人的益处如何影响疫苗接种决定知之甚少。方法。在一系列的3个实验中（N = 292, 316和299），我们使用假设的场景和大学生受访者，我们测试了个人的疫苗接种决策是否对群体免疫水平敏感，当它对利他或搭便车的疫苗接种行为有影响时。结果。我们的研究结果表明，个体的决定对拒绝接种疫苗的搭便车机会和利他接种疫苗的机会都很敏感。尽管个人最愿意在自己有风险的时候接种疫苗，但他们对自己能为他人做多少好事也很敏感。当个体自身不容易受到疾病的影响时，这种利他主义的敏感性是最强的。结论。从公共卫生的角度来看，最有效的疫苗接种战略往往需要为疾病传播者而不是最脆弱的人接种疫苗。因此，承担疫苗接种负担的人和受益的人不是同一个人。因此，有效的疫苗接种运动要求疾病传播者接种疫苗，即使这样做不符合其自身利益。我们的研究结果表明，通过吸引利他主义动机来鼓励接种疫苗是可能的。
Background. Many behaviors affect not only the self but also others. The utility of a vaccination to each individual depends on population immunity, the cumulative result of individual vaccination decisions. However, little is known about how the benefit to others influences vaccination decisions. Methods. In a series of 3 experiments (N = 292, 316, and 299) using hypothetical scenarios and college student respondents, we tested whether the vaccination decisions of individuals were sensitive to the level of immunity in the population when it had implications for either altruistic or free-riding vaccination behavior. Results. Our findings indicate that decisions of individuals were sensitive to opportunities both to free ride by refusing vaccination and to vaccinate altruistically. Although individuals were most willing to get vaccinated when they were at risk themselves, they were also sensitive to the amount of good they could do for others. This altruistic sensitivity was strongest when individuals were not vulnerable to the disease themselves. Conclusions. The most effective vaccination strategies, from a public health perspective, often entail vaccinating the disease transmitters rather than those who are most vulnerable. Consequently, those who bear the burden of vaccination and those who benefit are not the same individuals. Thus, effective vaccination campaigns require that disease transmitters vaccinate even when it is not in their self-interest to do so. Our results suggest that it may be possible to encourage vaccination by appealing to altruistic motives.