According to a YouGov poll, vaccine passports have widespread support across Europe, as a fourth wave of illnesses drives an increasing number of nations to impose stricter restrictions on persons who have not been completely vaccinated.
According to the annual YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project, majorities in all 10 European nations polled support mandatory immunization permits for large events, with more people favoring their use in cafés, restaurants, and gyms than opposing it.
Despite the fact that individuals are getting more disgruntled with their governments’ effectiveness in combating the epidemic, and with Covid-related limitations in general, the study found widespread support for the restriction.
Faced with unprecedented case numbers, Austria implemented a “lockdown of the unvaccinated” this week, followed by a broader lockdown – and a decision to make vaccinations mandatory starting in February. Germany unveiled plans on Thursday to limit unvaccinated people’s recreational activities in areas with high hospitalization rates.
From Monday, those without a vaccine pass will be denied entry to cinemas, theaters, and gyms in Greece; the Czech Republic and Slovakia have taken similar steps; and Sweden will adopt a vaccine passport for events involving more than 100 people next month.
Emmanuel Macron said the success of France’s health pass, which requires proof of vaccination, recovery, or a negative test and has been required to enter cafes, restaurants, and cinemas as well as take long-distance trains since the summer, meant the country should avoid having to lock down those who are not fully vaccinated.
Denmark restored its Covid pass last month after abandoning it in April as instances declined. Vaccine passports have been continually refused by Boris Johnson’s administration in the United Kingdom, despite the fact that Scotland requires them for access to nightclubs and other events.
Majorities of the public in Europe and throughout the world support vaccination passports as a necessity for large events or travel in and out of their country, according to a YouGov poll of more than 26,000 individuals in 26 countries.
Support for a permit requiring evidence of vaccination to attend important athletic events and concerts varied from 57 percent in France to 59 percent in Germany, 62 percent in Italy, 64 percent in Spain and Britain, and just 45 percent in Poland.
Outside of the EU, 51% of Americans and 69 percent of Australians indicated they support a vaccination passport for major events. The usage of vaccination passports for travel into and out of respondents’ home countries received equally high acceptance ratings in the study.
Support for mandatory vaccination passports as a requirement for a variety of other activities was lower, but nevertheless significant, such as taking public transportation, dining in restaurants, going to bars or cafés, or conducting indoor exercise at gyms.
In all but three of the ten European nations questioned – Denmark, Hungary, and Poland – more people stated they were in favor of needing vaccination permits on public transportation than against or undecided, with pluralities or majorities ranging from 41% in Germany and the United Kingdom to 56% in Italy.
A similar tendency appeared when it came to eating at restaurants, with more respondents in favor of vaccine passes than against in eight of the ten countries, with Hungary and Poland being the exceptions. Support for the initiative varied from 41 percent in the United Kingdom and 50 percent in France to 54 percent in Germany and 58 percent in Italy.
Support for necessary vaccination passports to access cafés or bars and exercise in indoor gyms was comparable, while support for supermarkets and clothing stores was significantly lower – typically ranging between 30% and 40% in most European nations.
The results in the United States were similar to those in Europe, while respondents in Australia were generally more enthusiastic. Russia stood out among the 26 countries polled, with persistently low support for passports in practically every instance except international travel.
Several countries, including Germany (67 percent in 2020, 44 percent in 2021), Denmark (81 percent /74 percent), Italy (58 percent /48 percent), Greece (72 percent /42 percent), Hungary (60 percent /43 percent), Poland (43 percent /35 percent), and Australia (79 percent /52 percent), saw a significant drop in the percentage of people who said their government was handling Covid well.
A few nations defied the trend, with approval ratings remaining stable or growing, such as France (37 percent / 40 percent) and the United Kingdom (39 percent / 41 percent) and South Africa (44 percent / 56 percent). The United States had a modest gain from 34% to 39%, far from a “Biden bounce.”
The study also found rising dissatisfaction with the speed with which people are returning to regular life. Those who believe their government is “placing too much focus on stopping the spread of the virus and not enough on allowing everyday life to function” increased dramatically in several nations.
France (up from 19 percent in 2020 to 30 percent this year), Germany (21 percent/34 percent), Italy (17 percent/25 percent), Poland (23 percent/33 percent), Australia (13 percent/27 percent), the United States (20 percent/29 percent), Japan (12 percent/24 percent), and Indonesia (11 percent/33 percent) were among these countries.
Several countries, including France (23 percent /39 percent), Germany (27 percent /42 percent), Hungary (30 percent /44 percent), the United Kingdom (13 percent /25 percent), Australia (17 percent /34 percent), and the United States (29 percent /36 percent), showed a similar rise in the number of people who believed their government’s response to the virus was too restrictive on personal freedoms.