Vaccination is finally possible – but there is great skepticism in the risk group everywhere – Switzerland

According to a survey by the opinion research institute Marketagent.com, 57 percent of the 1,000 Swiss surveyed do not want to be vaccinated as soon as possible. In some groups, there is great skepticism or fear of side effects, even if authorities emphasize that vaccination is safe.

It is precisely among the older generation, the majority of whom belong to the risk group and, therefore, it comes first, the skepticism of vaccination is great. This is shown in a recent survey conducted by the Institute for Generational Research in Augsburg among 2,145 people from Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

Only 21 percent of people ages 61 to 80 said they would be vaccinated against Covis-19 right away. 36 percent prefer to wait and see, and 43 percent don’t want to get vaccinated at all. Only 14 percent of young people ages 16 to 26 refuse to get vaccinated.

Rüdiger Maas, head of the study, explains the skepticism of the previous generation about vaccines:

Furthermore, distrust of the authorities is particularly pronounced among older generations.

Peter Burri of the Pro Senectute organization has another explanation:

Since they would have to get vaccinated first, they would be afraid of being used as guinea pigs. This is consistent with the fact that the majority of people aged 61-80 in the survey stated that, in their opinion, nurses should be vaccinated first and only then the risk group to which they mostly belong. For 16-26 year olds it is the exact opposite.

Pronounced skepticism about vaccination among the older generation? For Daniel Höchl from Curaviva, Association of Institutions for the Elderly and Nursing, the study does not coincide with his own experience: “We assume that the willingness of residents to vaccinate is similar to that of the rest of the population.”

Do you need indirect printing? Or is this not ethically permissible?

It can be assumed that the willingness to vaccinate grows with the urgency of the crisis. This is also shown by the surveys that have been carried out at regular intervals since the beginning of the crisis. For example, in August, when the number of cases was particularly low, 74 percent of people aged 61 to 80 years declined to be vaccinated against Covid.

The willingness to vaccinate could also be increased by indirect pressure. The issue is controversial from an ethical and legal point of view, but it could be that private organizers only allow access to events to vaccinated people. It is also possible that entry to certain countries is only possible with vaccination.