COVID-19 vaccination campaign costs (FOI)

Request

I refer to the advertising campaign to persuade Jersey’s population to get vaccinated.

A recent report published in the “Harvard Business Review” on 4 June 2021 regarding how Jersey “persuaded its citizens to get vaccinated”, indicates that Jersey obtained consultancy advice from [name redacted] (Harvard School of Public Health, USA).

Please confirm the cost of this outsourced consultancy (to include ongoing costs, if any). Please also provide a cost to date of this advertising campaign used to encourage Jersey’s population to take the Covid-19 vaccine. To include costs associated with;

• the 4Insight survey, completed by “Influence at Work”

• the establishment and use of Jersey’s new “Behavioural Science Design Group”

Response

The request has been interpreted to provide information which relates to Government of Jersey COVID-19 vaccination communications.

The request for information on costs for the consultancy advice from external agency on behavioural insight work for COVID-19 vaccination cannot be granted, as the information is considered commercially sensitive.

Article 33b (commercial interests) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has therefore been applied.

The recent ‘Time is Running Out’ vaccination campaign, which included paid-for advertising, and was influenced by the Behavioural Science Design Group was approximately £6,000 over three weeks of campaign activity.

The “Behavioural Science Design Group” is a governance mechanism composed of government officers. No additional costs were incurred in seeking their advice and input.

Article applied

Article 33 (b) - Commercial Interests.

Information is qualified exempt information if –

(b) its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).

Public Interest Test

Whilst we accept that the public may have an interest in the details of Government of Jersey contracts, we believe the exact details are commercially sensitive and that the release of this data could affect the negotiation of future contracts.