As the COVID-19 vaccination rollout picks up, Australians reveal the incentive that would most encourage them to get the shot.

If you thought that more research on possible side-effects of a vaccine, freedom to travel and easier access to vaccines through GPs are the main drivers in increasing the likelihood of Aussies protecting themselves against COVID-19, you’d be wrong.

Australians prefer payment for protection, with cash outweighing all other incentives. A study by Hunter and Bligh has found that nearly one in five (18.6 per cent) say they would be more inclined to receive the vaccine if they were paid for it. Only 14.6 per cent of us say better education on the vaccines is what would convince us to get the jab.

And only around one in 20 (5.8 per cent) say they’d be more likely to seek vaccination if they had access to an alternative variant – preferably the Pfizer vaccine.

Even though cash remains the greatest incentive, two-thirds (66.9 per cent) of us are somewhat or very likely to receive the jab when it becomes available to us.

Just over one-third (33.6 per cent) of Australians have currently received the COVID-19 vaccine.

About a third (33.1 per cent) of Aussies say they are either somewhat unlikely (13.0 per cent) or extremely unlikely (20.1 per cent) to get a COVID-19 vaccination – including 35 per cent of those aged between 30 and 39 and of those aged between 50 and 59.

People living in Queensland (23.0 per cent) and Western Australia (23.4 per cent) are more likely than in other states to be extremely unlikely to get a vaccine when it becomes available to them.

Around one in six (16.7 per cent) say they want to stop unvaccinated people from traveling – ultimately meaning that Australia’s borders will remain shut to our international neighbours. Men are more likely (23.5 per cent) than women (15.2 per cent) to believe travel should be unavailable to unvaccinated individuals. All-in-all, around 83 per cent of Australians overall support the idea of a vaccine passport for both local and international travel.

Just less than one in 10 (7.9 per cent) say venues should be closed to people who are not vaccinated.

Overall, if Australians had the option to choose, 56.4 per cent would opt for the Pfizer vaccine in comparison to just 18.4 per cent for AstraZeneca.

Data received by Hunter and Bligh and conducted by CoreData Research, a global specialist financial services research and strategy consultancy. The survey was conducted in May 2021 and received results from 1210 Australians.
Feature image: Photographed by golibtolibov Getty Images. Image via Canva.