Public Supports COVID-19 Vaccine Certificate for International Travel, Not Everyday Activities

Published

28 Apr 2021

2021

Amanda Russo | +41 79 392 6898 | arus@weforum.org

The global public widely supports requiring vaccine certificates for international travel and accessing large venues, however, support is divided when it comes to measures around daily life
Only half agree vaccine certificates should be required for shops, restaurants, and offices, with a large majority in South Asia and Latin America supporting such measures
Health expert calls for international regulations to adapt and for universal access to vaccines to ensure two classes of global citizens are not created
Watch the Forum’s panel on ensuring vaccine equity; read the highlights blog
View the survey details

Geneva, Switzerland, 28 April 2021 – A new World Economic Forum/IPSOS survey found three in four people support COVID-19 vaccine certificates for travelers entering their country. Two in three think these certificates would also be effective in making large events safe and expect they will be widely used.

Arnaud Bernaert, Head of Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum said: “Most public opinions in high- and middle-income countries are looking at vaccination certificates as indispensable tools for travel to resume and large public venues to reopen. Outdated international health regulations will need to adjust.”

Some 78% agree that travelers entering their country should be required to have a vaccine certificate; a majority agree in each of the 28 countries surveyed – from 92% in Malaysia and 90% in Peru to 52% in Hungary and 58% in Poland.

Support drops when it comes to accessing parts of daily life only recently re-opening. Only half agree vaccine certificates should be required for shops, restaurants, and offices. Counties showing wide support for these kinds of measures are mostly in South Asia and Latin America.

Globally, 55% support these kinds of requirements – ranging from strong support in India (78% agree), Chile (75%), and Peru (70%) to widespread opposition in Russia (72% disagree), Hungary (59%), Poland (55%), the United States (52%), and Belgium (52%).

Ensuring certificates do not create two classes of global citizens

“Three conditions will need to be met for such certificates to not do more harm than good,” said Bernaert. “First, certificates will need to leverage technologies securing the authentication of vaccine credentials . Second, privacy concerns need to be addressed and only trusted verifiers provided access. Third, and above all, vaccines certificates should be made available to everyone that wishes to use one - meaning that universal access to vaccines in low-income countries should be pursued to not create two classes of global citizens.”

Trust for governments over businesses

Overall, people are more comfortable with their employer accessing their personal health data and vaccination records than their government.

India (78%), China (77%), and Saudi Arabia (74%) show the highest levels of comfort with allowing employers access to personal health data while France (27%) and the Netherlands (29%) show the lowest.

Only 40% say they are comfortable allowing private companies, such as technology companies, airlines or hotels, to access their health data and vaccination record while 53% are not; the only countries where at least 50% are comfortable with it are India (68%), China (67%), Saudi Arabia (66%), Malaysia (57%), and Turkey (50%) while discomfort is most prevalent in the Netherlands (77%) and France (74%).

About the study
The survey was conducted online among over 21,000 adults between March 26 and April 9, 2021 on Ipsos’ Global Advisor online platform. Where results do not sum to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1 more/less than the actual, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses or the exclusion of don't knows or not stated responses.

In the 28-country survey, Ipsos defined a COVID-19 vaccine certificate as a record or health data certificate that would prove whether an individual has been vaccinated against COVID-19 or has recently tested negative for COVID-19, and that would be accessible electronically (e.g., on mobile phone apps) or as a printed document or card.

About Ipsos
Ipsos is the world’s third largest market research company, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1st, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and the Mid-60 index and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).

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All opinions expressed are those of the author. The World Economic Forum Blog is an independent and neutral platform dedicated to generating debate around the key topics that shape global, regional and industry agendas.