Online survey by GfK Austria among 1,000 Austrians on behalf of Wiener Städtische Versicherung.
Vienna (OTS) – Despite Corona, three quarters of Austrians are in good health. But every fourth person is psychologically stressed by the corona situation. Surprising: Despite this, the Austrians did not change their behavior in terms of their own health significantly. Half of them would get vaccinated, according to a recent survey.
„The cuts and burdens for people are huge – from postponed doctor’s appointments to ongoing psychological stress“, Summarizes Doris Wendler, Director of the Management Board of Wiener Städtische Versicherung, summarized the results of the representative online survey of 1,000 Austrians carried out by GfK Austria on behalf of Wiener Städtische Versicherung. “As one of the leading insurance companies, also in health care, we are observing increasing health awareness. The demand from our customers for preventive examinations is even slightly higher than in the previous year. At the same time, the survey shows that everyone can do much more for their own health in everyday life than is currently the case“, So Wendler. However, there is a willingness to take precautionary measures with regard to the long-awaited corona vaccination: Every second person would be vaccinated – 37 percent of those who were ready to vaccinate even within the first month.
High stress levels
Good or even very good – that’s how 75 percent of Austrians currently describe their state of health, another 18 percent rate it as neutral. The higher the age, the less healthy people feel, but the survey did not reveal any differences between the sexes in this regard. Mental health is different, however: 47 percent of women feel more stressed by the corona situation overall, compared to 38 percent for men. If you look at the results according to age, it becomes apparent that this also plays a major role in the stress level: In the age groups under 50 years of age, the lowest value is 45 percent, in contrast to those over 60, only 38 percent stated that they were felt a burden at the time of the survey in early October. This was generally higher during the first lockdown – 67 percent of those surveyed stated that the mental stress had decreased again after the exit restrictions. In the 60+ generation, the value is higher, at 76 percent. This means that older people were psychologically stressed much more during the lockdown than they are at the moment.
Personal risk
Weak, listless, shortness of breath – bitter reality for half of the respondents who have gone through corona disease and are already considered to have recovered. However, the consequences can not only be protracted, but also extremely serious, especially for members of risk groups. 76 percent of Austrians have to deal with this, as they either belong to the risk group themselves or someone from the family. 52 percent of them state that this fact strongly influences their behavior with regard to the corona precautionary measures.
Every fourth doctor’s appointment postponed
41 percent of doctor’s appointments had to be postponed during the initial lockdown. “That is a very high figure. Health care and the treatment of existing illnesses must not be left by the wayside even during an exceptional situation, such as the lockdown in spring and the current one. This must never be repeated“, Shows Wendler whether the current very serious situation is alarming. The Austrians gave medical care a good to satisfactory school grade – 44 percent of those surveyed were satisfied with it during the first lockdown. Of the doctor or treatment appointments that had to be postponed, most of them were check-up appointments (42 percent), followed by follow-up appointments for an existing illness (37 percent) and non-critical treatments / therapies planned for a longer period of time (34 percent). 16 percent of the postponed appointments were even for the treatment / therapy of an acute illness and therefore urgently needed. At 85 percent, a large majority of those surveyed did not suffer from any acute or chronic illness during the initial lockdown. A little less than a third have not received any medical care during this time.
A fifth gained weight
29 percent of Austrians state that they have been paying more attention to their own health since the beginning of the corona crisis. However, if you ask specifically about diet, sporting activities and weight development, this value is not confirmed: Only 17 percent did more sport during the first lockdown than before and only 11 percent state that they continued to do so after the lockdown. 38 percent, on the other hand, did less or no sport during the first lockdown; at the time of the survey, 29 percent of those surveyed said they did less exercise than before the first lockdown. The majority (73 percent) did not change their eating habits during the first lockdown and neither increased nor decreased. Only 18 percent paid more attention to their diet during the lockdown, a third changed their weight. Of this third, however, two out of three have increased and not decreased!
Private provision is becoming increasingly important for many
30 percent of those surveyed have private health insurance – 60 percent of them have special class insurance, 36 percent have private doctor insurance. These values will continue to develop upwards, as 41 percent stated that they see a clear need for private provision. The three most common reasons for this are the desire for shorter waiting times for doctor’s appointments, the desire for more time doctors have for patients and increasing deductibles for services. “Austria has a very good health system, but many want more than the statutory health insurance can offer“, So Wendler. Around 650,000 customers trust Wiener Städtische with regard to their health and have used the many digital health services during the Corona weeks more than ever before. “This has shown us that e-health has finally arrived in Austria and that low-threshold access to health and preventive services is necessary. Here we will stick with it and increase the speed in order to offer our customers even more service and at the same time to consolidate our leading role among Austrian insurance companies“, Concludes Wendler.
The press release and the survey charts can also be found at wienerstaedtische.at.
Inquiries & contact:
WIENER STÄDTISCHE insurance
Corporate communication
Schottenring 30, 1010 Vienna
Christian Kreuzer – management
Tel.: +43 (0)50 350-21336
Email: c.kreuzer@wienerstaedtische.at
Natascha A. Smole
Tel.: +43 (0)50 350-20096
E-mail: n.smole@wienerstaedtische.at
– .
