The Columbia Press
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August 13, 2021
Study finds state should change its tactics
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the College of Design’s Insti-
tute for Policy Research and
Engagement surveyed 686
Oregonians, divided nearly
equally among urban and rural
settings.
They asked respondents
about their vaccination status,
what factors are prompting
those to decline the vaccination
and what might motivate them
to take the vaccine, among
other topics.
Clark and Parker then of-
fer six recommendations that
might get more residents vac-
cinated and move the state
closer to stamping out the
coronavirus in Oregon.
“Our aim is to get us over the
finish line,” Clark said. “And
we’ve come a long, long way.
It’s just that it’s uneven across
the state.”
Added Parker, “Oregon has
a much higher percentage of
people who are fully vacci-
nated than most states at this
point. I think that’s pretty re-
markable and needs to be cel-
ebrated at some level. There’s
still obviously a lot of work to
do.”
To help sway the undecided
or vaccine hesitant, Clark and
Parker recommend offering
cash incentives, using Gov.
Kate Brown less in COVID
messaging because she is divi-
sive among some Oregonians,
reinforcing messaging that the
vaccine is free, implementing
door-to-door vaccination cam-
paigns, using evidence-based
communication
strategies,
more effectively illustrating
the virus’ effect on the unvacci-
nated, and continuing to battle
misinformation.
“We’re saying you need to
do all of these things because
each of these, when you look
at the segments of the popula-
tion and the people who won’t
get vaccinated, there are some
things that might work for
portions of the population that
won’t work for others,” Parker
said.
Among those who were open
to getting vaccinated, the of-
fer of $100 was more effective
than the chance at a $1 million
or $100,000 lottery prize, with
more than 30 percent saying
the guaranteed cash would be
enough for them to get a shot.
“That shows how the incen-
tives could be really, really
useful, because they’re getting
something very tangible as
opposed to something that’s
a little bit less tangible, which
is not getting COVID,” Clark
said.
Still, the offer of incentives
didn’t spark many unvacci-
nated people to change their
minds.
“The one thing that was may-
be most surprising was that
the million-dollar lottery was
not the one thing that real-
ly got people excited,” Park-
er said. “A higher percentage
would prefer a cash incentive,
but it still was a pretty small
push.”
Nearly 35 percent of unvacci-
nated respondents said noth-
ing could convince them to get
vaccinated. The top two rea-
sons respondents cited includ-
ed concerns about side effects
and that the vaccines were de-
veloped too quickly.
“It’s a public health tragedy
in a lot of ways because it feels
very unnecessary to me that
people are still at that level of
risk, and a lot of it has to do
with misinformation, frankly.
Politics,” Parker said.
“People were just saying, I’m
not doing this, there’s nothing
you can do to convince me,”
Parker added.
BottleDrop: Innovative recycling comes to Warrenton
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stickers with QR codes linking
the bags to their accounts.
Then they tag their green
bags, fill them with empty 10-
cent refund containers and
drop them off at the new loca-
tion – or any other BottleDrop
location statewide. Contain-
ers are counted and credited
to the person’s BottleDrop ac-
count within seven days.
Nonprofit agencies also can
get in on the action, using blue
bags tagged with the nonprof-
it group’s account.
“Warrenton has been look-
ing to get a BottleDrop for at
least three years and I’m so
excited to have them where
they belong — in the com-
mercial hub of the Columbia
Pacific Region -- Warrenton,”
Mayor Henry Balensifer said.
“I want to thank Fred Meyer
and OBRC for making this a
reality.”
Ribbon cutting
• When: 8:30 a.m. Friday,
Aug. 13
• Where: Recycling center
outside Warrenton Fred
Meyer
• How it works: Residents
set up an account, buy a
bag, and return it filled with
recyclables. Money goes
into the account, which can
be withdrawn for cash or
spent at Fred Meyer with a
20 percent bonus. Recycla-
bles also can fund Oregon
529 education accounts or
donated to charity.
Oregon Beverage Recycling
Cooperative, a state agency,
instigated the bulk green and
blue bag redemption program
in 2010 as a convenient and
efficient bottle and can recy-
cling option.
The program has grown each
year, with Oregonians return-
ing 8.3 million green and blue
bags in 2020.
Warrenton Fred Meyer is
the 77th bag drop location in
the statewide network.
“There’s no better way to
celebrate the 50 th anniversary
of the Bottle Bill this year than
to watch it continue to grow,
expand and innovate,” state
Sen. Betsy Johnson said. “Or-
egon’s system produces some
of the best outcomes in the
nation because of efforts like
this to expand the BottleDrop
network and open up new and
convenient redemption op-
tions to residents across the
state.”
Balensifer, Johnson and
state Rep. Suzanne Weber are
scheduled to attend the rib-
bon cutting along with coun-
ty commissioners Courtney
Bangs and John Toyooka.