London — People in the world’s leading economies remain overwhelmingly nervous about returning to normal life, even after being vaccinated against Covid-19, a survey shows.
A midyear update of the Edelman Trust Barometer, which for two decades has polled thousands of people on their trust in core institutions, suggests that 65% of people describe themselves as being “still in a pandemic mindset”.
Concretely, that means that only 16% feel safe flying commercial airlines, 23% staying in hotels and 28% dining indoors in restaurants. In each case, those tallies rose only slightly among those who have been fully vaccinated.
“Vaccines have produced an average 5% bump in return-to-life readiness. Nearly seven in 10 (of all respondents) are concerned a new outbreak is around the corner,” the survey commentary concludes.
The survey of 16,800 people in 14 territories — Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, SA, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Britain and the US — was conducted between April 30 and May 11.
The findings may raise doubts about the theory of some policymakers that pent-up demand will power the world’s leading economies to strong recoveries in the months to come. They also indicate people around the world have little regard for their governments’ handling of the crisis, with the leadership in only four out of the 14 countries — China, Saudi Arabia, UAE and India — getting solid approval.
In the case of India, whose hospitals are struggling with the world’s highest number of daily coronavirus infections, trust levels stood at a solid 77%, albeit 2% down on the January 2021 reading. Other polls have shown Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approval ratings falling to a new low as the country battles the pandemic.
The Edelman survey also suggests many believe the pandemic will leave longer-lasting societal problems in its wake: 55% said increased mental problems would be one legacy, and a similar number believe another would be the permanent loss of jobs.
Reuters
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