Eighth wave of surveys in September 2021
Results of the 8th survey wave from 7th to 21st of September 2021
European COvid Survey: Willingness to get vacciated in Germany rises to 82 percent
Pressure of expectations increases resistance among the unvaccinated
At 82 percent, the willingness to be vaccinated in Germany has reached its highest level for the time being, increasing by nine percentage points compared to July. This also corresponds to the development in other European countries, with Spain and Portugal at the top (90 percent vaccination readiness in each case). The proportion of those not willing to vaccinate in Germany drops by six percentage points to 13 percent. This is the result of the representative survey European COvid Survey (ECOS), which is regularly conducted by the Hamburg Center for Health Economics (HCHE) at the University of Hamburg. It took place from 7 to 21 September 2021 in eight European countries.
Further results of the survey: Those who are currently unvaccinated are unimpressed by current measures such as 2G or chargeable tests. Only a maximum of four percent of the unvaccinated consider vaccination as a result. For about 30 percent, this even leads to a counter-reaction: they state that vaccination would become even less likely.
"In addition to the biggest concern that vaccination against Covid-19 may not be safe enough, two out of three unvaccinated people feel pressured by politics and society," says Prof. Dr Jonas Schreyögg, scientific director of the HCHE. Excessive pressure is thus one of the main reasons for people not to get vaccinated. Of those currently still unvaccinated in Germany, only 12 percent say they are willing to be vaccinated, and another 22 percent are unsure. "Initially, more people with a low level of education were not convinced to get vaccinated, but this has now leveled out. We also see hardly any differences between the sexes. What has remained is that people who inform themselves a lot about the pandemic and trust the information from the government and ministries are more willing to vaccinate," says Schreyögg.
Children and adolescents: More parents in favour of vaccination
Slight increases can also be observed in the willingness of parents to vaccinate their children and adolescents. After 53 percent in June, 60 percent of parents in Germany would now have their children vaccinated. While 23 percent were still unsure in June, only 13 percent are now.
"It is surprising that the increase in the willingness to vaccinate after the STIKO recommendation in mid-August has been so moderate," explains Schreyögg. Overall, 81 percent of respondents in Germany are somewhat or very concerned about the impact of the Corona pandemic on schoolchildren. Similar values are reached in other European countries; in Portugal, Spain and Italy the worries are greatest with around 90 percent.
Majority agrees with current measures
Among those surveyed in Germany, the majority (57 percent) is in favour of a 2G regulation, i.e. access to restaurants or clubs, for example, only for those who have been vaccinated or have recovered. People in Great Britain, Spain and Italy see it the same way. The lowest approval rate, 43 percent, is in Denmark. If the 2G regulation is supplemented by the group of PCR-tested people, the approval in Germany grows by another four percentage points to 61 percent.
The fact that rapid tests will become chargeable in Germany on 11 October 2021 is supported by 64 percent, while 24 percent reject it. With the exception of Denmark and France, the majority of the other European countries surveyed are also in favour of payment.
Note: The willingness to get vaccinated refers to the representative sample of the total population and includes vaccinated and not yet vaccinated respondents.
Update: Booster vaccinations
78 percent of those vaccinated are ready for booster vaccination
Even though there is not yet a recommendation for a booster vaccination for all adults, 78 percent of the fully vaccinated in Germany are ready for another vaccination dose against Covid-19. Among the over-65s, the willingness is even higher at 89 percent. This was the result of the representative survey European COvid Survey (ECOS), which was conducted by the Hamburg Center for Health Economics (HCHE) at the University of Hamburg in September. The respondents are also in favour of donating every second vaccination dose to emerging and developing countries.
According to ECOS, those who were initially vaccinated with the one-time vaccination from Johnson & Johnson tend to be less willing to be vaccinated again against Covid-19. Those who were fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca show the highest willingness. "Since, proportionally, most vaccination breakthroughs are reported with Johnson & Johnson, this group of those previously vaccinated only once will, however, become a stronger focus of booster vaccinations in the future," says Prof. Dr Jonas Schreyögg, scientific director of the HCHE.
In other European countries, there is a similarly high willingness for the third vaccination among those who have been fully vaccinated. Of the eight countries in the survey, the willingness is highest in England and Denmark with more than 84 percent, and lowest in France with 67 percent. "But even in Portugal, which has the highest Corona vaccination rate in Europe, the willingness for the third vaccination is only 72 percent of those fully vaccinated," says Schreyögg.
Vaccine: keep it or donate it?
After months of vaccine shortages in this country, there is now a shortage, especially in emerging and developing countries. In order to fight the pandemic globally, the respondents in Germany are in favour of donating about half of the vaccine stocks to the international initiative Covax (Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access), the other half should be available for booster vaccinations. In the other countries where people were surveyed, the results are similar. The younger the people, the greater the willingness to donate.