Three in five British adults (61%) back the introduction of vaccine passports according to AllClear Travel Insurance. With 45% of people saying they want an overseas holiday this year, vaccine passports are seen as a vehicle to make travel safe again – as well as encouraging more people to take part in the COVID vaccination programme.
At a time when there has been much debate over the impact of vaccine passports on civil liberties – the research found that a third (54%) of people that supported the vaccine passport said that it would be good motivation for people to get vaccinated in the first place.
In addition, 44% of those that backed the vaccine said it would make overseas travel safer – and a further 44% cited the benefits of not having to isolate or quarantine when returning from a holiday abroad.
Further, 41% people that supported the vaccine passport concept said it would help ensure holiday makers would be unlikely to suffer from severe Covid-19 disease that might require hospitalisation abroad.
Whilst 61% of people backed the vaccine passport, 30% were against it and 9% were undecided. For those opposed to the vaccine passport, the main concern related to the exclusion of people who chose not to have or were unable to have the vaccine (47%).
In addition, 40% of respondents said vaccine passports were a bad idea because there is no evidence that vaccines reduce transmission or will protect against new variants of COVID. Only 27% of respondents were concerned about the potential impact on data privacy.
Across all age groups, the majority of respondents were in favour of the vaccine passport but support peaked among older people – 62% for 55-64 year-olds and 72% with the over 65s. Interestingly, the reasons for supporting vaccine passports varied by age group.
For example, the under 25s were most likely to believe vaccine passports would keep travellers safe from the effects of COVID-19 abroad and would prevent people having to be hospitalised whilst overseas (20%). In contrast, the over 65s were most likely to say vaccine passports would motivate more people to take the vaccination in the first place.
Chris Rolland CEO of AllClear Insurance commented: “As restrictions begin to lift and with the confidence of the Prime Minister’s promise that each stage of progress is ‘irreversible’ – unlocking travel is a priority for many people. With reports that more than 90% of over 50s have been vaccinated already – and with this age group leading support for the vaccine passport concept – it makes sense to focus on what can be done to make overseas travel safe again.
“For a country that has notoriously always rejected plans to carry identification, the research suggests there is a greater freedom at stake. After a year of going in and out of lockdowns – with many people not being able to travel to the next town, let alone overseas – our research clearly suggests that the majority of people are willing to do as much as they can to regain their freedom to travel – and this is why there is such support for a vaccine passport.
“At AllClear, we specialise in making travel safe for people with medical conditions, to ensure freedom to travel is an equal right for everyone. To this end, vaccination passports will likely have a key role to play in unlocking our freedom to travel as we slowly return to the new normal.”
