Global public backs COVID-19 vaccine passports for international travel

The expectation is that with a vaccine, some aspects of life will return to normal, especially when it comes to travel, which has been particularly hard-hit. This is where a “vaccine passport” or “e-vaccination certification of compliance for border crossing regulations” might become a required travel document, to enable seamless border crossing and the harmonization of varying national laws.

The global vaccine rollout is underway with millions of vaccines purchased and administered. The vast majority of COVID-19 vaccines have so far gone to wealthy nations, however, with low-income countries receiving only 0.2 per cent of all shots given. As the world’s largest vaccine producer, India’s current crisis has sparked fresh fears for vaccine production.

But despite these challenges, there is growing hope that in time the world’s populations could become COVID-19 immune and there are promising signs that the vaccines are highly effective. Results from a study in Israel have revealed that two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine offer 95 per cent efficacy against infection, hospitalisation and death from COVID-19.

As COVID-19 continues to ravage our world, 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 travellers to enter their country and that they would be effective in making travel and large events safe. While the survey finds mixed views about mandating vaccine certificates for everyday activities, 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 per cent are comfortable allowing their government to access their personal health information and 40 per cent 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.

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 per cent agree that travellers entering their country should be required to have a vaccine passport; a majority agree in each of the 28 countries surveyed – from 92 per cent in Malaysia and 90 per cent in Peru to 52 per cent in Hungary and 58 per cent in Poland.

• 73 per cent agree that vaccine passports would be effective in making travel and large events safe; a majority in every country agree – from 84 per cent in mainland China and Argentina and 82 per cent in Peru, Malaysia, and India, to 52 per cent in Hungary and 53 per cent in Russia.

• 67 per cent agree that large public venues should require a vaccine passport with the highest agreement levels in India, Chile, and Malaysia (82 per cent in all three), while Russia and Hungary are the only two countries surveyed where fewer agree (31 per cent and 47 per cent, respectively) than disagree (59 per cent and 49 per cent).

• 66 per cent 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 per cent both) while it is the case of fewer than half in Russia (32 per cent), Japan (43 per cent), and Poland (45 per cent).

• 55 per cent 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 per cent agree), Chile (75 per cent), and Peru (70 per cent) to widespread opposition in Russia (72 per cent disagree),

Hungary (59 per cent), Poland (55 per cent), the United States (52 per cent), and Belgium (52 per cent).

In general, favourability 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 per cent of adults say they are comfortable

with their doctor having access to their health data and vaccination record, including 50 per cent who say that they are very comfortable; the prevalence of comfort sharing health data with one’s physician ranges from 93 per cent in mainland China and Belgium and 91 per cent in Canada to 66 per cent in South Korea and 67 per cent in Russia.

• 56 per cent of employed adults report being comfortable with their employer having access to their personal health information, with 21 per cent being very comfortable; India (78 per cent), mainland China (77 per cent ), and Saudi Arabia (74 per cent) show the highest levels of comfort with allowing employers access to personal health data while France (27 per cent) and the Netherlands (29 per cent) show the lowest.

• 50 per cent of adults say they are comfortable with their government having access to their health data and vaccination record, with 18 per cent 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 per cent in mainland China, 78 per cent in India, and 73 per cent in Malaysia to only 28 per cent in Russia and Poland and 30 per cent in the Netherlands;

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

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 per cent selected this answer), or

• Limiting these activities only to those who have been vaccinated is unfair to those who have not (46 per cent chose this answer). More than six in ten adults in Brazil (63 per cent), the United States (62 per cent), and Canada (61 per cent) believe activities involving large groups should be limited to the vaccinated. In contrast, majorities in France (57 per cent), Spain (55 per cent), Japan (53 per cent), and Germany (53 per cent) 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 per cent) say that a vaccine certificate or passport should only be required for only a few months, another third (32 per cent) until at least the end of the year, one quarter (23 per cent) for the next several years, and 13 per cent indefinitely.

The views that vaccine passport requirements should be limited to only a few months is most prevalent in Spain (54 per cent) and Mexico (48 per cent). Japan is the only country where a majority say vaccine passports should be required for the next several years or indefinitely.