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In the Washington Post, I read that the US state of West Virginia offers money to people who get vaccinated. I am wondering if you can help me find countries that offer similar cash incentives.
It seems that Germany does not yet offer money to people who get vaccinated, although there has been an experiment to see if monetary incentives increase one's willingness to get the vaccine (Sprengholz 2021).
The Greek PM announced at the end of June that those aged between 18 and 25 would be eligible for a €150 cash card, and a free month of mobile data when they receive their first Covid vaccination. According to Reuters:
"With the first jab of the vaccine (they) will get a prepaid card of 150 euros," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a ministerial meeting.
"It's a debt to the youth, a gift out of gratitude," he added.
Around 940,000 Greeks aged 18-25 who get their first shot by the end of the year will be eligible for the "freedom pass" cash bonus, the government said.
On the first day of residents being able to apply for this card, there were more than 120,000 applications, according to Tornos News. It looks like the card can only be used on travel and entertainment though, rather than it being a pure cash lump sum:
It can be used to cover costs in travel and entertainment, such as plane and ferry tickets, hotel bookings, music, theater and cinema, museums, and archaeological sites that have opened, most available only to the fully vaccinated.
In China there are many incentives for people to get vaccinated. According to this article by 中国基金报 (China Fund News) on Baidu, there are local initiatives where household supplies and staple foods are given to those getting their vaccine. Gifts mentioned in the article are: eggs, milk, rice, oil, and laundry detergent. There's also mention of a monetary incentive of 300 yuan (almost $50) in cash.
Slovakia started a lottery where everybody who is vaccinated can register and win €1000 immediately and then up to €100,000 if you fulfill some conditions (tell a specific keyword at a certain time on Sunday within first 20 seconds). You can find more details in the following article.
The first round was on last Sunday (on 15th of August) and it did not go very well. They called 5 random people, only the first one won and the others were a bit discriminated. You can see more here.
A few more are mentioned in a Reuters article. It seems most incentives are some kind raffle, rather than a "sure thing", or if there was a "sure thing" it was of small value:
Moscow authorities have been handing out five cars a week in a prize draw for the vaccinated, while Londoners got the chance to win tickets to the final of the Euro 2020 soccer Championship, and Romanians … just a barbequed sausage sandwich.
(Note that the Euro soccer thing was postponed from last year, it's not typo.)
In a Philippine town, the mayor is planning a cow raffle as an incentive, while another community has been raffling off huge sacks of rice, after finding it hard to persuade people to get their shots. Mexican vaccination centres are instead laying on entertainment in the hope of making it fun to get a jab.
Businesses are also getting in on the act, from free beer in Israel to complimentary dessert in Malaysia. In Hong Kong, a property developer is raffling off a $1.4 million apartment for people who have been vaccinated.
The Canadian provinces of Alberta and Manitoba have offered cash prize incentives for vaccination. Manitoba further offered scholarships for children aged 12-17.
Official list of winners: https://www.gov.pl/web/loteria/tygodniowe
In Poland you can win:
Currently $1 = 4 PLN = 4 zł
For countries, Serbia meets the criteria. According to this article:
Serbia now has a surplus of vaccines and plenty of options, too. In response, last week, President Aleksandar Vučić made a bold offer: cash for shots. As in, get vaccinated this month, and receive about $30.
(The article was published in may, so I am not sure about wether this offer still stands)
Side note: NYC will pay you to get vaccinated.
