Global public backs COVID-19 vaccine passports for international travel
Washington, DC, April 28, 2021 — A new Ipsos survey for the World Economic Forum finds that, on average, about three in four adults across 28 countries agree that COVID-19 vaccine passports should be required of travelers to enter their country and that they would be effective in making travel and large events safe. About two in three say they should be required to access large public venues and as many expect they will be widely used in their country.
On the other hand, only about half agree they should be required for shops, restaurants, and offices. That same survey conducted online among over 21,000 adults between March 26 and April 9, 2021 finds that, on average across 28 countries, just 50% are comfortable allowing their government to access their personal health information and 40% in the case of private companies.
Another Ipsos survey conducted online among more than 15,000 adults across 12 countries, April 8-11, finds the global public sharply divided about whether only those who have been vaccinated should be allowed to take part in activities involving large groups of people such as taking public transit, flying, and attending cultural and sporting, or events.
Read the World Economic Forum article.
Detailed Findings
Views about vaccine passports
In the 28-country survey, Ipsos defined a COVID-19 vaccine passport 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.
On average, globally:
- 78% agree that travelers entering their country should be required to have a vaccine passport; 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;
- 73% agree that vaccine passports would be effective in making travel and large events safe; a majority in every country agree – from 84% in mainland China and Argentina and 82% in Peru, Malaysia, and India, to 52% in Hungary and 53% in Russia;
- 67% agree that large public venues should require a vaccine passport with the highest agreement levels in India, Chile, and Malaysia (82% in all three), while Russia and Hungary are the only two countries surveyed where fewer agree (31% and 47%, respectively) than disagree (59% and 49%);
- 66% agree that vaccine passports will be widely used in their country by the end of the year, with wide differences across countries – eight in ten in India and Peru agree (81% both) while it is the case of fewer than half in Russia (32%), Japan (43%), and Poland (45%);
- 55% agree that vaccine passports should be required in shops, restaurants, and offices across all countries with views also varying widely across countries – 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%).
In general, favorability toward vaccine passports varies little by gender, but it tends to be higher among older adults and those with a higher level of education.
Allowing access to health data and vaccination records
In the survey conducted across 28 countries, over eight in ten on average say they are comfortable allowing their doctor access to their personal health data and vaccination records. However, just over half among those who are employed say so about their employer, half of all adults say so about their country’s government, and only four in ten adults about private companies.
More precisely, on average globally:
- 84% of adults say they are comfortable with their doctor having access to their health data and vaccination record, including 50% who say that they are very comfortable; the prevalence of comfort sharing health data with one’s physician ranges from 93% in mainland China and Belgium and 91% in Canada to 66% in South Korea and 67% in Russia;
- 56% of employed adults report being comfortable with their employer having access to their personal health information, with 21% being very comfortable; India (78%), mainland 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;
- 50% of adults say they are comfortable with their government having access to their health data and vaccination record, with 18% saying they are very comfortable with it; comfort with allowing government access to personal health data and vaccination records varies widely across countries – from 86% in mainland China, 78% in India, and 73% in Malaysia to only 28% in Russia and Poland and 30% in the Netherlands;
- Only 40% say they are comfortable allowing private companies 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%), mainland China (67%), Saudi Arabia (66%), Malaysia (57%), and Turkey (50%) while discomfort is most prevalent in the Netherlands (77%) and France (74%).
Overall, older people tend to be more comfortable letting their doctor have access to their health and vaccination information than are younger people. In contrast, younger people tend to be more comfortable allowing their employer, their government, and private companies to access their personal health information. People with higher levels of education are slightly more comfortable with their doctor, their government, and private companies having access to their health data than those with lower levels of education.
Limiting activities involving large groups of people only to those who have been vaccinated
In the 12-country survey, all adults were asked to identify which of two opinions is closest to theirs:
- Only those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 should be allowed to do things involving large groups of people, such as taking public transit, flying, and attending cultural and sporting events (on average 54% selected this answer), or
- Limiting these activities only to those who have been vaccinated is unfair to those who have not (46% chose this answer).
More than six in ten adults in Brazil (63%), the United States (62%), and Canada (61%) believe activities involving large groups should be limited to the vaccinated. In contrast, majorities in France (57%), Spain (55%), Japan (53%), and Germany (53%) believe it is unfair.
Length of time vaccine certificate or passport should be required for activities and travel
On average, across 12 countries surveyed, one-third (32%) say that a vaccine certificate or passport should only be required for only a few months, another third (32%) until at least the end of the year, one quarter (23%) for the next several years, and 13% indefinitely.
The views that vaccine passport requirements should be limited to only a few months is most prevalent in Spain (54%) and Mexico (48%). Japan is the only country where a majority say vaccine passports should be required for the next several years or indefinitely.
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