Do incentives work to motivate voluntary blood donation?

Based on previous research on blood donation incentives, we investigated the effectiveness of two incentives-eligibility for free blood transfusions and improving individual credit scores-and explored the psychological mechanisms underlying these effects. We conducted four studies to explore the relationship between incentives and blood donation intention. The results showed that eligibility for free blood transfusions was more effective than improving individual credit scores due to the mediating effect of perceived attractiveness. Meanwhile, improving individual credit scores failed to play an effective role and was significantly lower than eligibility for free blood transfusions due to the mediating effect of perceived threat to freedom. We further found that after adding the moderating variable of involvement, there was no difference between the two incentives due to the weakened mediating effects of perceived threat to freedom and perceived attractiveness in the high-involvement group. This study establishes two effect paths from incentives to perceived threat to freedom/perceived attractiveness to blood donation intention, explaining the effectiveness of incentives.

Automated summary

Based on previous research, this study investigated the effectiveness of two blood donation incentives-eligibility for free blood transfusions and improving individual credit scores-and their underlying psychological mechanisms. Four studies were conducted to explore the relationship between incentives and blood donation intention. The results showed that eligibility for free blood transfusions was more effective, mediated by perceived attractiveness, compared to improving individual credit scores, which had a lower effectiveness due to the mediating effect of perceived threat to freedom. With the moderating variable of involvement, there was no difference between the two incentives in the high-involvement group due to weakened mediating effects of perceived threat to freedom and perceived attractiveness. This study establishes two effect paths explaining the effectiveness of incentives on blood donation intention.