The effect of altruism on COVID-19 vaccination rates

Background: After the emergence of the frst vaccines against the COVID-19, public health authorities have promoted mass vaccination in order to achieve herd immunity and reduce the efects of the disease. Vaccination rates have difered between countries, depending on supply (availability of resources) and demand (altruism and resistance to vaccination) factors. Methods: This work considers the hypothesis that individuals’ health altruism has been an important factor to explain the diferent levels of vaccination between countries, using the number of transplants as a proxy for altruism. Taking European Union's countries to remove, as far as possible, supply factors that might afect vaccination, we carry out cross-sectional regressions for the most favorable date of the vaccination process (maximum vaccination speed) and for each month during the vaccination campaign. Results: Our fndings confrm that altruism has afected vaccination rates against the COVID-19. We fnd a direct relationship between transplants rates (proxy variable) and vaccination rates during periods in which the decision to be vaccinated depended on the individual's choice, without supply restrictions. The results show that other demand factors have worked against vaccination: political polarization and belonging to the group of countries of the former Eastern bloc. Conclusions: Altruism is a useful tool to defne future vaccination strategies, since it favors the individuals' awareness for vaccination