Abstract
The development of effective vaccines remains crucial for controlling infectious diseases, with behavioral economics offering insights into vaccine acceptance patterns. This study aimed to understand demand for HIV vaccines currently in development, using behavioral economics, examining cross-cultural differences between Nigerian (n = 119) and United States (n = 63) participants. They responded to three behavioural economic tasks: a simulated COVID-19 Vaccine Purchase Task (CVPT), HIV Vaccine Purchase Task (HVPT), and the Monetary Probability Discounting Task (MPDT). Demand curves were fitted using an exponentiated model with both purchase tasks demonstrating excellent fit (R2 = .98). Multiple regression analyses examined relationships between behavioral economic indices and demographic factors. Nigerian participants showed significantly higher price sensitivity for both COVID-19 (β = −1.10, p < .001) and HIV vaccines (β = 0.90, p = .001) compared to U.S. participants, while baseline demand intensity and risk tolerance were similar between countries. Monetary risk-taking behavior predicted HIV vaccine demand (β = −1.10, p = .02), and higher socioeconomic status was associated with lower price sensitivity (β = 1.09, p = .04). The study demonstrates the utility of behavioral economic frameworks in modeling vaccine demand across cultures, revealing cross-cultural differences in price sensitivity and the potential relationship between COVID-19 and future HIV vaccine acceptance. These findings may have important implications for developing targeted public health interventions and policy frameworks for vaccine distribution, particularly in lower-income populations, to ensure equitable access to future HIV vaccines.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding Statement
This study did not receive any funding
Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Southern Illinois University gave ethical approval for this work.
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Yes
I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).
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I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.
Yes
Footnotes
Corrected the Exponential Demand function
Data Availability
All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors
