Poll: Many Europeans Support Covid-19 Vaccine Passports

Photo source: European Parliament / © AP Images/European Union- EP

As the European Commission is getting ready to present its proposal on March 17 on creating an EU-wide digital certificate providing proof of a Covid-19 vaccination (aimed to facilitate travel) a recent poll by Euronews found that a large proportion of Europeans support the introduction of these so-called vaccine passports.

The poll, conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Euronews in Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain, during late February and early March, looks at Europeans’ attitudes towards travel and vaccine passports in the post-Covid-19 era.

According to the poll, a large proportion of respondents across the board support or strongly support the introduction of the so-called vaccine passports: 53 percent in Germany, 65 percent in Italy and 69 percent in Great Britain, with a smaller proportion in France (39 percent).

Question: To what extent, if at all, would you support or oppose the introduction of a vaccine passport to verify that an individual has been vaccinated?

Those who oppose or strongly oppose the measure are in the minority: 25 percent in Germany, 32 percent in France, 19 percent in Italy and 12 percent in Great Britain.

Around a fifth of respondents neither support nor oppose the initiative.

Germans, Italians, Brits keen on carrying a vaccine passport

When asked if they “would be willing to carry a ‘vaccine passport’ with them to demonstrate that they have been vaccinated”, 55 percent in Germany, 63 percent in Italy and 69 percent in Great Britain said they would be willing to carry such a document for “all circumstances”.

Question: Would you be willing to carry a “vaccine passport” with you to demonstrate you have been vaccinated?

On the other hand, the French appeared more divided: 31 percent would carry the certificate for all circumstances, 31 percent only for international travel and 38 percent would not carry the passport at all.

Allowing only the vaccinated to travel abroad? 

Meanwhile, according to the survey, Britons support or strongly support restricting travel abroad only to those who have been vaccinated against the virus (69 percent); a support which drops to 35 percent in Germany, 42 percent in France and 40 percent in Italy.

Question: To what extent, if at all, would you support or oppose restricting travel abroad only to those who have been vaccinated against coronavirus?

Travel intent

When asked if they currently intend to travel for holiday at some point this year, four in ten participants in Germany, France, Italy and Great Britain say they do not intend to travel anywhere for holiday this year (46 percent, 43 percent, 39 percent and 46 percent, respectively).

Question: Do you currently intend to travel for holiday at some point this year?

But, when they do intend to travel, the results paint a mixed picture:

– French and Italian respondents prefer to travel domestically (27 percent and 39 percent, respectively said they would travel domestically) with a minority inclined to go abroad (18 percent and 13 percent, respectively).
– Germans are split: 21 percent plan to travel domestically and 21 percent prefer to go abroad. A small minority (12 percent) claim they intend to do both.
– While in Britain, 25 percent said they would travel domestically and 20 percent said they would travel abroad.

Euronews is Europe’s leading international news channel.