For weeks, the vaccination campaign in Germany has been subject to debate and criticism. Less than 3% of the population have been fully vaccinated so far. At this pace, it would take more than 1.5 years to immunize 70% of the German population.

Decision-makers are now trying to improve communication efforts to increase uptake rates. The aim is to convince more people to get vaccinated. Coming from a process perspective, our directors argue in a critical commentary that this approach neglects other important elements: Vaccination uptake is not only driven by people’s intentions, but also by their ability to follow through with their plans.

The current vaccination journey in Germany creates unnecessary roadblocks, especially technical and logistical barriers. For some, it takes up to several hours to make vaccination appointments in a jungle of forms and hotlines. Others face challenges in getting to the remote vaccination centers.

In line with the WHO recommendations, our directors argue that the German administration needs to lower these barriers, simplify the appointment process and tailor it to the needs of key target groups to allow the willing to get vaccinated as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Full commentary in German language: Die Impfbereitschaft wird nicht unser letztes Problem sein: Ein Kommentar zur aktuellen Impfkampagne aus verhaltensökonomischer Sicht