Second wave of surveys in June 2020
From suspicion to confidence - How people are judging the current COVID-19 situation
The second wave of surveys, which took place from 9 to 22 June 2020, produced the following results, among others:
Only 44.4% of the people questioned in Europe consider the speed at which the restrictions imposed by the corona pandemic were lifted to be correct. Across Europe there is a tendency for many people to feel that the relaxation of restrictions is too fast. In Germany, 36 % say this. This is the second highest figure among the European countries surveyed after the UK (45 %). By contrast, 14% of people in this country are too slow to return to normality. Only 4% currently believe that the restrictions were not necessary.
When asked whether people feel well protected in restaurants, churches and fitness studios, as well as at hairdressers or at the doctor's, the picture is fairly uniform: the greatest scepticism is found at religious sites and fitness studios, while visiting the doctor causes the least concern, followed by supermarkets and hairdressers. Although the basic trend is the same in all the countries surveyed, it is clear that in the UK, which is particularly badly affected by COVID-19, confidence is even lower than in the other countries.
Economic and financial worries decrease
Compared to the first survey in April, it is clear that people in Germany are now less concerned about the financial and economic impact of the pandemic. The biggest development is in the healthcare system: only 29% are currently worried about overburdening themselves to any great extent or in some cases - in April, this figure was more than twice as high.
Befragungsergebnisse
The willingness to vaccinate decreases, but so does the concern about side effects
A vaccine is considered crucial in the fight against the coronavirus. But would the population also use it? While in April 2020 70 percent of people in Germany were ready to be vaccinated, the number fell to 61 percent in June. Many people are particularly concerned about possible side effects.
In a representative study conducted by the Hamburg Center for Health Economics (HCHE) at the University of Hamburg, more than 7,000 people in Germany, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom were surveyed in April and June 2020.
Overall, the willingness to vaccinate against the coronavirus in the countries surveyed fell from 74 percent in April to 68 percent just two months later. With the exception of Portugal, all countries have lower figures, with the largest deviations in Italy (minus 13 percent) and Germany (minus 9 percent). Besides France, Germany has the lowest approval rate for vaccination among the European countries surveyed. At the same time, the number of people in this country who do not want to be vaccinated has doubled. In Germany, one in five now says this. "It is worrying that more and more people are rejecting a vaccination against the coronavirus, and these are far more people than those who generally reject vaccinations," explains Prof. Dr. Jonas Schreyögg, scientific director of the HCHE.
By far, most people in all surveyed countries are worried about possible side effects and that a possible vaccine is not sufficiently effective. 45 percent of people who refuse to be vaccinated and 61 percent of those who are unsure cite these as the top reasons. After all, every seventh person who is against a vaccination does not believe that the virus is dangerous for their own health.
However, the study also shows that respondents who say that they trust information from the government, the European Union and the World Health Organization are more open to vaccination. “Politics and science should therefore communicate very transparently about possible side effects and the effectiveness of a vaccine and promote the trust of the citizens,” recommends Jonas Schreyögg.
North-South divide in Germany
“We find the highest approval in all countries among men over 55 years of age and among those who live in a household with older people or with someone with previous chronic illnesses,” Schreyögg continued. Women across all age groups are more unsure of whether or not to get vaccinated. In Germany in particular, it can be seen that families and households with physically or mentally handicapped people are the least willing to vaccinate of all household constellations.
In addition, the willingness to vaccinate is distributed differently within Germany: The willingness to vaccinate decreases from the north (67 percent) to the south (56 percent). In Bavaria, for example, only one in two (52 percent) is willing to be vaccinated. In contrast, there are only minor differences between the old and new federal states (60 and 65 percent respectively).
Fair distribution of a vaccine
With the availability of a vaccine, the question of distribution arises at the same time; after all, vaccines will not be immediately available for all people who are ready to vaccinate. Who should determine who will be the first to receive a coronavirus vaccine? The respondents in all countries agree on this: They attribute the highest level of competence to hospitals and doctors (61, in Germany 54 percent), the Ministry of Health (55, in Germany 47 percent) or a national team of experts (54, in Germany 46 percent) .
From the point of view of the respondents, the government or parliament are less suitable. The majority of the population in all surveyed countries rejects the decision to leave the decision to the pharmaceutical company that brings the vaccine onto the market (55 in all countries, 61 percent in Germany), as does a referendum (56, 54 percent in Germany) or a raffle (67, in Germany 71 percent).