Ownership Framing for COVID-19 Booster Uptake
UCLA Health / NIH-funded research · United States · 2022
Summary
Framing a vaccine appointment as already belonging to the patient ('your dose is reserved') outperformed both no contact and a standard reminder. The psychological mechanism—treating the appointment as an existing possession rather than a future option—reduces the activation energy required to act. The same principle has been applied to organ donor registration and benefit enrollment with similar effects.
Research question
"Does framing a COVID booster appointment as 'yours — already set aside' increase uptake vs. generic reminder?"
Methodology
Intervention
SMS with ownership framing ('your dose is waiting') vs. control (no SMS) and generic appointment reminder
Assignment
Randomized controlled trial (patient)
Sample size
~47,000 patients
Primary outcome
COVID-19 booster vaccination within 30 days
Effect estimate
Ownership framing: OR = 1.28 vs. no SMS; +11% relative to generic reminder
Decision
Ownership framing incorporated into health system outreach templates
Result
Positive
Ownership framing: OR = 1.28 vs. no SMS; +11% relative to generic reminder
Evidence strength
Strong
Randomized controlled trial with large sample.
Replication status
Partially replicated
Institution
UCLA Health / NIH-funded research
Location
United States
Year
2022
Policy area
Public Health
Mechanism
Personalization