I have another discouraging report from the field - a teacher in Southern California got an e-mail last night directing them to come in on Monday for training of some sort in anticipation of starting classes in the fall and she freaked out exposing total brainwashing of the fear ridden paranoid masses ... these people think they’re informed etc. It’s not encouraging. WWG1WGA + Maranatha :)
Brief Summary:
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.
Condition or disease:
Covid 19
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 (Clinical Trial)
Actual Enrollment : 4000 participants
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention Model Description: In this study, 2/15 of participants will be assigned to a control message (bird feeding passage), 3/15 of sample to a baseline vaccine message, and 1/15 to each of the 10 other treatment arms.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Other
Official Title: Persuasive Messages for COVID-19 Vaccine
Uptake: a Randomized Controlled Trial, Part 1
Actual Study Start Date : July 3, 2020
Actual Primary Completion Date : July 8, 2020
Actual Study Completion Date : July 8, 2020
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.
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures :
1.Intention to get COVID-19 vaccine [ Time Frame: Immediately after intervention, in the same survey in which the intervention message is provided ] 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. Secondary Outcome Measures :
1.Vaccine confidence scale [ Time Frame: Immediately after intervention, in the same survey in which the intervention message is provided ] 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)
2.Persuade others item [ Time Frame: Immediately after intervention, in the same survey in which the intervention message is provided ] This is a measure of a willingness to persuade others to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
3.Fear of those who have not been vaccinated [ Time Frame: Immediately after intervention, in the same survey in which the intervention message is provided ] This is a measure of a comfort with an unvaccinated individual visiting an elderly friend after a vaccine becomes available
4.Social judgment of those who do not vaccinate [ Time Frame: Immediately after intervention, in the same survey in which the intervention message is provided ] 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
If this doesn't work there will be economic incentives.
If that doesn't work there will be fines.
If fines don't work your ability to buy and sell and use services such as medical care will be denied.
If that doesn't work you will be imprisoned, your rights stripped, and you will be made a test subject to be disposed of when used up.
You can also see similar techniques and strategies used in discussions on FR beyond the trees - see if you can identify the posters.
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The teachers union should get exactly the same treatment as Reagan gave the Air Traffic Controllers who wouldn't show up for work.
I can think of one person very high in government who knows how to say: "You're fired!"