Although the radical party does not officially consider itself an anti-vaccine party, its politicians constantly relativize the seriousness of the epidemic and the benefits of vaccination.Continue reading
According to a survey conducted in January, the rejection of the possible mandatory vaccination against the coronavirus has increased in Hungary compared to last November. 59% of respondents opposed compulsory vaccination against the coronavirus, compared to 44% in November, reports website Napi. As in the fall, older people, university graduates, and Budapest residents were more likely than average to vote in favor of a possible mandatory vaccination. Among the youngest respondents and those living in outer counties, the rejection increased significantly.
This article was originally published on our sister-site, Ungarn Heute.
Across Europe, the new aggressive mutation of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly. Due to the rapid spread of Omicron, the number of cases has been increasing; last weekend, a total of 40,000 new cases were registered, almost twice as many as in the previous week. Nevertheless, the willingness to vaccinate does not seem to increase- the number of people who get vaccinated at least once increases only by a few thousand per day.
In the EU, Austria was the first country to adopt mandatory coronavirus vaccination.
In Hungary, the Orbán government has repeatedly stated they are against mandatory vaccination, however, they provided employers the right to make vaccination mandatory for their employees, and the government itself as an employer, has also made vaccination compulsory in many sectors, such as healthcare and public education, and in state institutions.
In a poll taken mid-November, initiated by economic portal Napi.hu, 44 percent clearly rejected mandatory vaccination. The same research institute has now measured 59 percent rejection in a new poll.
In November, 39 percent of the public favored mandatory vaccination, but in the same poll, another 17 percent would have accepted its introduction if it had been tied to specific jobs.
Support for mandatory vaccination in the January poll was independent of gender, with roughly equal proportions of those in favor and opposed among women and men, compared with the average result. In November, gender responses were slightly more divided, with 40% of men voting against vaccination, and 48% of women.
Looking at the responses by age group, we see a similar trend to November, with the youngest respondents least supportive and most opposed to mandatory vaccination, while the oldest respondents are most supportive. Among middle-aged people, opinions are fairly even. Only 27 percent of 18 to 39-year-olds would make vaccination mandatory.
In terms of education levels, the proportion of elementary school graduates and college graduates who support mandatory vaccination is about the same, 38-39%, while 52% of university graduates would implement mandatory vaccination.
Looking at the results by place of residence as in the November poll, Budapest residents were most in favor of making vaccination mandatory at 54 percent, but the lowest support was in counties outside of Budapest, at 35 percent.
Featured image via Attila Balázs/MTI
