Sixth wave of surveys in april 2021
Results of the 6th survey wave from 2nd to 16th of April 2021
COVID-19 study: dissatisfaction with corona management grows
More than half of Germans are in favour of lifting vaccination prioritisation
After the population in Germany had been predominantly behind the containment measures since the beginning of the Corona pandemic a good year ago, a trend reversal is now becoming apparent. In a representative survey conducted by the Hamburg Center for Health Economics at the University of Hamburg, almost one in two people disagreed with the measures and their implementation. In addition, more than 40 percent of people said that corona management will influence their voting decision. 57 percent are also in favour of dropping the current vaccination prioritisation.
People in Germany are increasingly critical of the current Corona management: 59 percent find the measures ineffective and 49 percent disagree with the Corona management in this country this year. This puts Germany on a par with France in last place among the seven European countries surveyed. The governments of Great Britain, Denmark and Portugal receive good scores for their corona management from their population.
Asked about the current vaccination management, 58 percent of the people in Germany do not agree with it and almost every second person does not think the decision to order the vaccine centrally via the EU is right. In contrast, people in Denmark and Portugal, for example, are clearly in favour of centralised ordering via the EU.
For the survey, which is conducted by the Hamburg Center for Health Economics (HCHE) of the University of Hamburg approximately every two months, more than 7,000 people in seven European countries are interviewed. The current survey took place from 2 to 16 April 2021.
Vaccination readiness grows, Biontech leads in vaccination preference
In almost all European countries surveyed, the willingness to vaccinate has increased since January of this year. Although Germany still ranks second to last, ahead of France, the willingness to vaccinate increased from 62 to 67 per cent. "In Germany, we see a growing willingness to vaccinate especially among 25-34 year olds, i.e. those among whom the incidence has been particularly high in recent weeks," says Prof. Dr Jonas Schreyögg, scientific director of the HCHE. In this age group, the willingness to vaccinate has grown from 46 to 60 percent since January. However, every third person surveyed in this age group also said they had no confidence in the safety of the vaccines.
While almost half of the population in Germany still had no preference for a vaccine in January, this figure is currently only 26 percent. 50 percent of the people in this country would like to be vaccinated with Biontech/Pfizer, the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is in second place with only seven percent. 29 percent explicitly reject vaccination with AstraZeneca. In contrast, only 16 and 15 per cent of the respondents in Germany have reservations about the Russian vaccine Sputnik V and the vaccine of the Chinese manufacturer Sinopharm.
The majority of European respondents (55 percent) would like to see more freedom for vaccinated people and therefore welcome the introduction of a European vaccination passport. About half of the people are also in favour of lifting restrictions, for example, on travelling, visiting restaurants and cultural activities. In Germany, these figures are 45 and 42 percent, respectively, showing the lowest level of support among the countries surveyed.
Trust in information
People in Germany have become more sceptical about information from their government overall. For example, trust in information policy has fallen by eight percentage points since January 2021. "Those who do not trust the information are also more likely to reject vaccination," Jonas Schreyögg explains. The same applies, he says, to people who inform themselves only a little about the pandemic. Their willingness to be vaccinated is only 38 percent, compared to 79 percent of the well-informed. Among the poorly informed, almost one in two also expressed concerns about the safety of the vaccines.
In contrast, there is only a slight loss of confidence in general practitioners and hospitals. They continue to enjoy a high reputation among the population (86 and 84 percent). Jonas Schreyögg hopes that the high level of trust in general practitioners in particular could increase the willingness to vaccinate in Germany in the future.