Ohio gave away $5 million in an effort to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates, but a new study shows that even though state officials initially thought a special lottery encouraged more people to line up for the shots, in the end the numbers just weren’t there.
Researchers compared Ohio’s numbers to states with no lottery incentives and learned that Ohio’s initial spikes in shot numbers weren’t any different from other states’ spikes. Rather, researchers said all the spikes were due to making more people eligible for the vaccine, not the lure of a lottery.
While Ohio was the first to offer a lottery, other states were quick to follow, with Massachusetts, Michigan and 12 other states offering million-dollar or more in prizes. Ironically, Ohio has now given up the program after seeing the “bump evaporate,” The New York Times said.
SOURCES:
Forbes July 3, 2021
The New York Times July 3, 2021