Can vaccine sweepstakes get more Americans to get a coronavirus vaccine?
To see whether that was true, in April, June and August 2020, we fielded surveys on Lucids Fulcrum platform, surveying 5,000-person samples weighted to be demographically representative of the United States. In each survey, individuals were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group answered questions after reading nothing in advance. Before answering questions, the second group read a fictional write-up that projected a fall peak in coronavirus cases, while the third group read about a projected spring peak. For example, one group read: While no one can be certain how the COVID-19 outbreak will progress in the United States, one well-respected team of scientists at a leading university has projected that if social distancing measures are widely adopted now but are lifted during the early fall, a new surge in cases will come and the effects of the virus will reach their peak in November or December.