Thousands of Austrians receive 5 euros by mail
Thousands of Austrians are receiving an unexpected surprise in their mailboxes this week — a five-euro banknote from the government. The Austrian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Institute for Experimental Social Research (IFES), launched this initiative to encourage citizens to participate in a national health study. According to the Kleine Zeitung newspaper, around 5,000 letters containing the cash and a QR code for registering for the study have been sent out.
Participants were randomly selected by the Ministry of the Interior using the central population register in Austria. Those who participate in the study receive an additional voucher worth 10 euros that can be used in stores and restaurants. The messages carry official logos to confirm that it is real and not a scam.
Project manager Julian Aisheltser explained to the Kleine Zeitung that offering small cash incentives has proven effective in previous studies, adding: "We have done this in other projects before, and sometimes it yields better results," noting that this step helps increase citizen participation.
The study aims to collect about 3600 detailed interviews from various parts of Austria to measure the level of health literacy among the population — that is, how well people understand medical information and their ability to navigate the healthcare system. The results will be used to develop better health communication policies and strategies in the future.
This study is part of a broader European project led by the World Health Organization (WHO) involving around 20 countries. The total budget for the project in Austria is approximately 267,000 euros, of which about 25,000 euros have been spent so far on sending messages containing the funds.