Bulgarians who reject Covid vaccination prevail

At a time when the Bulgarian government has announced that the first 120,000 free Pfizer vaccines against coronavirus are expected by the new year, the people in our country who do not intend to immunize against Covid-19 are little more than those, who will put it. This is evidenced by data from an urgent telephone survey by Gallup International, conducted after the introduction of the new restrictive measures on Friday night. According to the study, most people support them.

Its authors point out that the uncertainty generates divided opinions on the subject of vaccines. 48 percent of those surveyed said they would not get vaccinated against Covid-19, 43 percent said yes and the rest doubted. However, according to sociologists, the conclusions about the negative attitude should not be rushed, because in the context of the usual vaccinated in our country, a small percentage, the proportion of 43% of preparation in principle is not small. The responses probably reflect social desirability, but even more than two out of five is not a small frequency, Gallup International analyzes.

The study reveals that the three-week restrictive measures imposed on November 27 due to the pandemic are more likely to be well received and may work to reduce people’s fears, but society continues to appear confused.

The majority in favor of the new measures is not large, but it is still there. 56% support them, 42% do not, and there are some who doubt. Considerable fears due to alarming official statistics probably also play a role.

Obviously, the measures can bring some peace of mind. From the point of view of public opinion, the measures are obviously arriving on time, because in recent months society seems to have come up with the idea of ​​new stricter measures by itself. In the summer, for example, a majority of more than 60% opposed the tightening of the measures, despite the increase in cases at that time. At the beginning of November, however, opinions “in favor” and “against” the toughening of the measures were already divided equally. Without a large majority in favor of tightening, this still showed that the large number of new infections, as well as examples from abroad, make Bulgarians “get used to the idea” that a new tightening is a matter of time, according to Gallup. International. “.

The unclear outlook also leads to a large body of evidence for mental health issues and trauma, the agency said.

65% of those surveyed agree that the coronavirus crisis has confused their lives. 34% do not think so, and few find it difficult to determine. 21% of those surveyed say they have acquaintances or relatives who have mental problems as a result of the pandemic. These actions are not small and clearly show what damage can cause additional panic at such times.

The concern also arises from the uncertainty about when to wait for the end of the crisis. 32% think it will take more than a year. The hope of 25% is that the crisis will disappear in spring, 16% choose “for the summer”, 3% allow the end to be in autumn and 9%, by the end of 2021. The rest admit that they cannot determine . This is a serious recovery from the beginning of the summer, when around 60% believed that there would be a normalization by the end of the year. With the increase in cases in late summer, this proportion dropped to about a third in July, sociologists recall.

The optimism during the summer was due to seasonal factors and the dynamics of the spread of the virus, but also to the serious publicity that the alternative stories about the situation gained. And now two equal halves (with a certain amount of doubt) accept or reject the philosophy embodied by Associate Prof. Mangarov. The approval fees for the alternative viewpoint are not small. They show, if not a divided society, at least a seriously confused society.

The approval fees still prevail from the official point of view. In the philosophy symbolized by Professor Mutafchiiski, however, approval is still slightly better; generally from five to three, with some doubts.

This is likely due to the fact that, for example, the latest measures were announced in their entirety by staff and not so much by politicians, the agency said, noting that traditionally, the qualifications of professionals are higher than those of politicians in crisis. and the Minister of Health as a doctor enjoys an additional positive.