Cleveland: Will scholarships persuade Ohio parents to get their kids vaccinated? Gretchen Chapman

If parents don’t want to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, will the possibility of a college scholarship change their mind?

Starting May 26, every Wednesday, the state will randomly draw a 12-17-year-old to win a scholarship for five weeks. The award will include tuition, room and board, and books to any state school in Ohio. An electronic portal will open to register on May 18.

“Parents are vaccine-hesitant for many reasons — there is no simple answer,” said Gretchen Chapman, a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University who studies judgment and decisions in health.

Chapman said along with the safety worries of their children, parents can also face barriers to vaccination such as easy access, transportation, taking days off from work to care for a child sick with side effects, and more.