Covid-19 poll: Swiss morale picks up

The poll revealed that 60% of people said they had received at least one Covid vaccine dose; another 3% said they were prepared to get inoculated immediately. However, 12% said they preferred to wait while 25% said they had no plans to get vaccinated. Keystone / Alessandro Crinari

The morale of the Swiss population seems to have improved due to better management of the pandemic, a new Covid-related survey finds.

The mood of the Swiss population has ebbed and flowed over the past 15 months. Like last summer, optimism now seems to have returned, a new poll published on Friday shows. This follows previous surveys in January and March that highlighted people’s disappointments and fears.

Almost three-quarters (73%) of people who took part the latest Sotomo Covid survey said they thought Switzerland was doing better than other European countries in dealing with the pandemic.

“The progress of the vaccination campaign, the drop in the number of new infections as well as measures to ease the lockdown have contributed again to a notable improvement in people’s outlook on the pandemic,” Sotomo wrote.

Trust in the Swiss government’s handling of the crisis, which got a boost in March, has increased further, with 54% saying they have “great” or “huge” trust in the authorities.

“The fact that the Federal Council (executive body) took charge of things again at the start of the year, that the measures introduced led to a huge drop in Covid cases and emptying of hospitals, this has had a positive effect on the government’s reputation,” Sotomo said.

Those questioned said they felt the economy was also doing better. And there were fewer concerns about the financial impact of the pandemic and possible job losses.

In March, almost half of people questioned (46%) said Covid restrictions went too far. This figure has now fallen to 33%.

Delta worries

However, looking ahead Swiss morale risks taking another hit if the Delta variant spreads this summer. The variant is progressing in the country and currently accounts for some 30% of new cases, the Federal Office for Public Health (FOPH) said on Tuesday.

Health officials say it is still too soon to say if the variant was behind the recent rise in case numbers, but that it may be a factor along with pre-holiday testing, recent openings and big events like Euro 2020.

The vaccination rollout also continues across the country but has slowed (down to 60,000-70,000 jabs per day). Around 38% of the population are fully vaccinated.

Sotomo revealed that 60% of people said they had received at least one vaccine dose; another 3% said they were prepared to get inoculated immediately. However, 12% said they preferred to wait while 25% said they had no plans to get vaccinated.

A majority of people who took part in the survey (61%) said they were in favour of the Covid certificate, which has been available since June 7. It shows if the holder has been vaccinated, tested, or recovered from Covid-19. From Friday, the Swiss Covid Certificate will be valid in EU countries, Iceland and Norway.

Sotomo poll

The national survey was conducted by the Sotomo Institute on behalf of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG), SWI swissinfo’s parent company.

This is the eighth survey about the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020.

The survey was conducted online between July 1-5 among 23,337 people aged 15 and over living in all language regions.

Translated from French by Simon Bradley.