Importance: Vaccine incentives have been used across the US to encourage COVID-19 vaccine uptake and include programs targeted to adolescents and young adults. However, little is known about youths' views regarding these initiatives.
Objective: To assess experiences and perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine incentives in a nationwide sample of US youth.
Design, setting, and participants: A qualitative survey study was conducted using the MyVoice text message-based polling platform from October 22 to October 29, 2021. Participants were US adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 24 years, who were sent 5 open-ended questions to assess their experiences and perceptions of COVID-19 vaccine incentives. Qualitative responses were analyzed thematically. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed in January 2022.
Main outcomes and measures: Experiences, perceptions, and opinions related to COVID-19 vaccine incentives as measured by survey response.
Results: A total of 1125 of 1206 youth (93%) responded to the survey and had a mean (SD) age of 20 (2) years, 664 (59%) identified as male, and 769 (68%) identified as non-Hispanic White. Of respondents, 871 (79%) reported having heard of vaccine incentives, and 892 (82%) believed they were a good idea or had positive attributes. Notably, 305 youth (28%) expressed concerns about vaccine incentives, citing uncertainty about their effectiveness (86 [28%]), their ethical use (63 [21%]), the impact on vaccine motivations (51 [17%]), and confidence (39 [13%]), and lack of fairness (35 [11%]). Only 73 youth (7%) reported that an incentive influenced their decision to get a COVID-19 vaccine. When asked what they thought would motivate others to get a COVID-19 vaccine, youth with an opinion (536 of 1032 [52%]) most commonly reported incentives (112 [21%]) and additional COVID-19 vaccine testing, safety, or regulation (115 [21%]).
Conclusions and relevance: COVID-19 vaccine incentives are well known to youth but not a significant self-reported motivator for vaccination. Although generally viewed favorably, more than a quarter of youth expressed concerns regarding vaccine incentives, including but not limited to their ethics, effectiveness, fairness, and impacts on vaccine motivation and confidence. Policymakers considering targeted use of COVID-19 vaccine incentives should weigh youths' perspectives on these initiatives alongside objective effectiveness and cost-effectiveness data.