A statistical analysis of the general public''s ethical preferences regarding various vaccination policy options

Abstract

A vaccine is a biological preparation composed by a modified or synthetic antigen that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and that is able to mount a specific immune response. Vaccination has saved millions of lives (Bloom et al., 2005) and has convincingly shown to be an effective and often a cost-effective way of improving population health (Grady, 2004). Therefore, vaccination policy remains one of the cornerstones of public health. However, it is also subject to several difficult ethical dilemmas. Policy makers can force individuals to become vaccinated, or they can use more subtle incentives in order to make vaccination more attractive. They can target vaccination policies at certain subgroups, but that can sometimes be perceived as being discriminatory. Moreover, the resources that are at policy makers' disposal are limited, so difficult rationing decisions will have to be made. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the opinion of the general Flemish popu