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This is how people in Germany view the corona pandemic

2022-01-17T18:30:50.808Z


How do people in Germany view the pandemic? A survey shows: The fear of the omicron wave is growing, at the same time the willingness to vaccinate is increasing - but also the longing for relaxation.


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Better to freeze outside than get infected inside: Many people no longer want harsh measures, but they still have respect for the virus

Photo: NurPhoto / NurPhoto / Getty Images

People in Germany have now been living with the corona virus for almost two years, many with fear of infection or doubts as to whether a vaccination is correct.

How has the mood changed over time?

And who advocates compulsory vaccination?

Current results of the European Covid Survey (ECOS) answer these questions.

For the study, led by the Hamburg Center for Health Economics (HCHE), people from various European countries have been interviewed about the corona virus at intervals of a few months since the beginning of the pandemic, including around a thousand adults from Germany.

Around half took part in several survey rounds, the last taking place from December 23, 2021 to January 11, 2022.

Six Insights.

1. Are the current measures loose or tough?

matter of opinion

How consistently is the government trying to contain the corona pandemic?

Opinions differ on the answer to this question.

Around half of those surveyed in Germany stated that they consider the current measures to be strict.

About the same number rate it as not strict, i.e. rather relaxed.

“It probably goes hand in hand with how people assess their own corona risk,” says Jonas Schreyögg, scientific director at the HCHE at Universität Hamburg.

“Opinion is similarly divided there.

Around every second person sees a certain risk of becoming infected with the virus.

The others don't even want to deal with it.

They are therefore likely to find the measures rather strict, while the rest consider them appropriate.«

There is at least greater agreement on the question of how strict the corona measures should be in the future.

Only one third calls for tough action, around two thirds advocate a looser course.

"I think that reflects the wish of many that the vaccination would bring freedom back," says Schreyögg.

2. Respect for the virus - but also less caution

A certain sense of security coupled with pandemic fatigue is also reflected in the behavior of those surveyed.

At the beginning of past corona waves, the number of those who wanted to do without hugs, for example, increased significantly.

“We won't see that this time.

The values ​​only go up very slightly there,” explains Schreyögg.

Nevertheless, many in the Omicron wave have retained respect for the virus.

At the beginning of January, those surveyed estimated their risk of becoming infected to be as high as in previous waves.

However, the fear of illness is currently somewhat lower than in the previous waves.

3. Willingness to vaccinate without being vaccinated: is there anything else that can be done?

The willingness to vaccinate in Germany is increasing and increasing.

According to the survey, the proportion of those who decided against a corona vaccination is only ten percent.

The value was last this low in April 2020, when the corona pandemic had just begun.

"There is a certain proportion of people who will not be reached," says Schreyögg.

»But I still don't believe that it will really be ten percent, but significantly less.

Probably about half as many.”

According to the researcher, however, a great deal of effort is required to change the minds of those who are still accessible and unvaccinated. “You can only do that by going directly into the communities, for example with social workers, talking to people intensively and explaining to them how effective the vaccination is. There's a surprisingly high percentage of people who don't get their information from the media, including social media.«

Alternatively, according to the expert, compulsory vaccination could increase the vaccination rate similarly.

"You won't get many of the roughly five percent who refuse everything," he says.

“But the others probably do.

There is currently a lot of discussion about the fact that the implementation of compulsory vaccination would be very costly.

But the alternative, namely to go even more into the communities and convince the rest through many discussions, would also be very time-consuming.

That should be taken into account when considering.«

4. The fear of the division of society

However, the survey also shows that many people in Germany are concerned about a division in society.

More than half of those surveyed in January said they were very, or even fairly, concerned about a vaccinated/unvaccinated divide.

"Obviously, compulsory vaccination would increase these concerns," says Schreyögg.

“Conversely, however, one must also ask oneself whether a never-ending cascade of measures in the case of different waves of infection is not also leading to increasing pandemic fatigue and division in society.

Against this background, compulsory vaccination may be the lesser evil.

After all, we don't know what awaits us."

Should vaccination come about, Schreyögg thinks it makes sense to depoliticize the decision as much as possible.

"The more someone mistrusts the government, the more likely they are to refuse a vaccination," says Schreyögg.

"Therefore, compulsory vaccination should be linked as little as possible to certain political parties, currents and opinions."

The expert therefore believes that Karl Lauterbach, as Minister of Health, decided against his own application for compulsory corona vaccination to be correct.

5. The older, the greater the desire for compulsory vaccination

According to the results, how much someone supports compulsory vaccination is also a question of age.

The older someone is, the more likely they are to advocate compulsory vaccination for all adults.

The observation can probably be explained by personal concern.

The older someone is, the greater their risk of a severe course.

Other results of the study also support this connection.

“For those who perceive a high risk from the corona virus, 72 percent agree that vaccination is compulsory.

With a medium risk of 70 percent and with a low risk of only 50 percent,” says Schreyögg.

"The approval of mandatory vaccination therefore correlates strongly with risk perception."

6. The booster skepticism

According to the survey, almost every fifth person who has received at least one vaccination is reluctant to have a booster or even rejects the third injection. This result does not come as a surprise to Schreyögg. “Even among those who have been vaccinated twice are many who have hesitated for a very, very long time. Now they have to do the same thing again. You have to overcome yourself and look for a vaccination center. That is a big hurdle for many.«

For this reason, the booster is not a sure-fire success. According to the expert, clarification is also needed here. »An insane number of people cannot even assess what such a booster can do. They don't have the information, they don't deal with their antibody status or similar questions. Then you might see a headline stating that the effectiveness of the vaccination at Omikron is no longer as good. And they say to themselves: Why should I then also get a third injection? There is still a huge need for information.«

The solution is the same as with the first and second vaccinations: the government has to think about how best to reach people and get the information to them.

According to Schreyögg, stronger campaigns in the streetscape, for example with simple, concrete messages on advertising pillars and bus stops, would also be a good way.

"This finding is not new," he says.

»We can learn from other countries in Germany.«

Source: spiegel

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