TY - JOUR
T1 - Strategies to increase downloads of COVID–19 exposure notification apps
T2 - A discrete choice experiment
AU - Frimpong, Jemima A.
AU - Helleringer, Stéphane
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Frimpong, Helleringer. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
PY - 2021/11
Y1 - 2021/11
N2 - Exposure notification apps have been developed to assist in notifying individuals of recent exposures to SARS-CoV-2. However, in several countries, such apps have had limited uptake. We assessed whether strategies to increase downloads of exposure notification apps should emphasize improving the accuracy of the apps in recording contacts and exposures, strengthening privacy protections and/or offering financial incentives to potential users. In a discrete choice experiment with potential app users in the US, financial incentives were more than twice as important in decision-making about app downloads, than privacy protections, and app accuracy. The probability that a potential user would download an exposure notification app increased by 40% when offered a $100 reward to download (relative to a reference scenario in which the app is free). Financial incentives might help exposure notification apps reach uptake levels that improve the effectiveness of contact tracing programs and ultimately enhance efforts to control SARS-CoV-2. Rapid, pragmatic trials of financial incentives for app downloads in real-life settings are warranted.
AB - Exposure notification apps have been developed to assist in notifying individuals of recent exposures to SARS-CoV-2. However, in several countries, such apps have had limited uptake. We assessed whether strategies to increase downloads of exposure notification apps should emphasize improving the accuracy of the apps in recording contacts and exposures, strengthening privacy protections and/or offering financial incentives to potential users. In a discrete choice experiment with potential app users in the US, financial incentives were more than twice as important in decision-making about app downloads, than privacy protections, and app accuracy. The probability that a potential user would download an exposure notification app increased by 40% when offered a $100 reward to download (relative to a reference scenario in which the app is free). Financial incentives might help exposure notification apps reach uptake levels that improve the effectiveness of contact tracing programs and ultimately enhance efforts to control SARS-CoV-2. Rapid, pragmatic trials of financial incentives for app downloads in real-life settings are warranted.
KW - Adult
KW - Aged
KW - COVID-19
KW - Clinical Decision-Making
KW - Contact Tracing/methods
KW - Disease Notification
KW - Humans
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Mobile Applications
KW - SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity
KW - Young Adult
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U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0258945
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0258945
M3 - Article
C2 - 34723981
AN - SCOPUS:85118395828
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 16
JO - PloS one
JF - PloS one
IS - 11
M1 - e0258945
ER -