Post-COVID vaccination behaviours and return to activities

New York, NY, July 8, 2021 — A new Ipsos study conducted in partnership with the World Economic Forum finds a majority of adults in each of nine countries surveyed saying they are likely to continue socially distancing and wearing a mask in public if or when vaccinated against COVID-19. The study also highlights widely different levels of confidence across countries when it comes to resuming activities once vaccinated – eating in restaurants, attending sporting events or concerts, using public transportation, and flying domestically or internationally. 
The survey was conducted on Ipsos’ Global Advisor online platform, June 3-6, 2021, in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States among 12,497 adults under the age of 75.

Read the World Economic Forum's article.

Continued socially distancing and mask-wearing

In each of the nine countries, more than three-quarters of those surveyed say that, assuming they have received a vaccine for COVID-19, they definitely will continue or may continue socially distancing from others in public places. Depending on the country, between six and eight in ten say they definitely will continue or may continue wearing a mask in public.
Levels of certainty about continued social distancing and mask-wearing in public places vary across countries:

• More than half of those surveyed in Brazil and just under half in Italy, the U.K., France, Mexico, and Germany say they definitely will continue social distancing in public places, compared to only one-third in Japan and the U.S. The U.S. shows the highest proportion saying that they will not continue or haven’t been socially distancing pre-vaccination (22%).
• Gaps are even wider when it comes to mask-wearing in public: 57% in Brazil say they definitely will continue, compared to 27% in Germany. Germany and the U.S. have the largest proportions saying they will not continue or haven’t been wearing a mask (32% both).

Confidence about returning to various activities

How soon one feels confident resuming different activities after having received a vaccine for COVID-19 varies widely by type of activity and by country. For most activities measured, confidence tends to be most prevalent in Mexico, followed by Spain, Italy, and France, and lowest in Japan.
For relatively common or frequent activities, proportions of those saying they would do so immediately or in a few months range from:

• 59% in Japan to 82% in Italy for eating in restaurants,
• 48% in the U.S. to 67% in Mexico for using public transit, and
• 38% in Japan to 62% in Mexico for attending sports events or concerts.

When it comes to flying, proportions of those saying they would do so immediately or in a few months vary depending on both their home country and the destination. They range from:

• 38% in Japan to 72% in Mexico for flying with one’s own country,
• 24% in Japan to 68% in Mexico for flying to other countries where the vaccine is available, and
• 17% in Japan to 52% in Mexico for flying to other countries where the vaccine is not yet available.

 
About the Study
These are the results of an Ipsos survey conducted June 3 to 6, 2021 on the Global Advisor online platform among adults aged 18-74 in the United States and 16-74 in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
The sample for this study consists of 2,001 individuals in the U.S.; 1,500 in each of France, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.; 1,495 in Germany; 1,001 in Brazil;  and 1,000 in each of Mexico and Japan.
The samples in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain,  the U.K., and the U.S. can be taken as representative of these countries’ general adult population. The samples in Brazil and Mexico are more urban, more educated, and/or more affluent than the general population and should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more “connected” segment of the population.
The data is weighted so that each market’s sample composition best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data.
Where results do not sum up 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 know” or not stated responses.
The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with polls of 2,000, 1,500, and 1,000 accurate to +/- 2.5, +/-2.9, and +/-3.5 percentage points, respectively. For more information on the Ipsos use of credibility intervals, please visit the Credibility Intervals for Online Polling page on Ipsos.com
The publication of these findings abides by local rules and regulations.