With a year of corona behind us, we have little faith in the vaccination policy, we are tired and we yearn for more social contacts. We think it is high time that the cabinet gave more priority to the consequences for the economy and well-being.
With 30,000 panel members, we looked back on the past corona year and forward to a way out of the crisis. The most striking result, in our opinion, is the low confidence in Dutch vaccination policy. Only a third of those surveyed (37 percent) say they have confidence in this. The majority, 61 percent, don’t.
Forward
Too late, too slow and too messy, is the opinion of many respondents about the vaccination policy. There is too much listening to all kinds of interest groups who demand priority. That feels like pushing ahead.
One participant says: “I cannot explain it to friends abroad. It seems as if decisions are taken ad hoc every day, the grand plan behind it does not seem to be there. There does not seem to be a decisive director.”
Millionth shot
The low confidence is especially remarkable because the participants completed the survey in the week in which the millionth injection was taken. While the vaccination campaign seems to be gaining momentum, the image remains poor.
People want to be vaccinated en masse (76 percent). They see it as the key to a more normal life, something they look forward to after a year of persistence. It seems that there seems to be little control over something so important.
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Support for hard intervention
EenVandaag measured support for the government’s approach throughout the corona year. For almost a year, the majority of those questioned agreed with the measures taken by the cabinet. During the first wave in April 2020, confidence in the approach was even sky high (79 percent). We appreciated the cabinet’s tough intervention during the first lockdown. The feeling that we might soon be rid of corona if we ‘all put our shoulders together’ was still prevalent at the time.
When the infections rose again in the second wave, many were irritated by the wait-and-see attitude of the cabinet. In October, confidence in the corona approach was at an all-time low (47 percent). But when the cabinet acted hard again with a new lockdown, the skepticism disappeared and confidence returned.
Rack is out
But since January 2021, the stretch seems a bit off and confidence has hovered around 50 percent. In this week, in which the cabinet announces a package of easing, it remains at 47 percent. Many people cite the faltering vaccination policy as the main reason for their moderate confidence in the overall approach to the corona crisis.
Viewed over the year, two protagonists get a meager pass. Prime Minister Mark Rutte does the ‘best’ with a 5.8. RIVM director Jaap van Dissel received a 5.5 for his contribution. Minister Hugo de Jonge, responsible for vaccination, scores the lowest with a 5.2. “It is also difficult that those vaccines are not delivered. Eventually it will work, but for now he has to do better”, says a panel member.
Collective fatigue
A year of corona has a significant impact on the mental health of the participants. Almost half (43 percent) say they feel worse now than a year ago. We are tired of holding on to all the limitations, the lack of social contacts, not being able to cuddle, not having work, not going to school. “No distractions like the gym, the movie or the pub. I exist, but I’m not really alive anymore.”
Only 5 percent feel better than last year. Half (51 percent) still feel about the same as for corona. This group often tries to make the best of it with what is still allowed. But they too are eagerly looking forward to a more normal life. “I try to adjust with every measure, but the stretch has been out since November.”
Bearing trends
On Wednesday March 17, the Netherlands will go to the polls for the parliamentary elections. To our special Polling Trends page With the help of clear graphs you can see how politicians and parties are doing in the run-up to it. Who is the most and least reliable party leader? How many seats can the parties count on and what does that mean for the coalition formation?
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One-person rule cannot be maintained
Many participants indicate that they are tired of following the rules. They have the most difficulty with the rule that you can only receive one person at home. Four out of ten (42 percent) say they always adhere to this. Almost half (45 percent) indicate that this is not always possible. And another 10 percent admit that they often break this rule.
Many simply do not succeed in limiting contact with family and friends any longer. The need for real contact in this time of crisis is too great, say panel members. No video calling can beat that, and we prefer not to choose between our loved ones because we can only meet one at a time.
More attention for social consequences
The moderate confidence in the current cabinet policy is also due to the fact that many people have a change in thinking. Until now, this policy was mainly aimed at reducing infections and preventing healthcare from overflowing with corona patients. People could find themselves there for a long time. But six out of ten respondents (61 percent) now think it is high time that more attention was paid to the social consequences of corona.
They believe that in the coming months the cabinet should focus primarily on the consequences of corona for the economy (55 percent), our mental and social well-being (41 percent), ‘normal’ hospital care (37 percent) and education. (28 percent). “My husband’s surgery has been postponed again, my daughter is gloomy, and so many people who are having a hard time. The government should now start taking care of them,” said one participant.
About the research
The survey was held from 18 to 26 February 2021. 29,993 members of the EenVandaag Opinion panel participated in the survey. After weighting, the survey is representative of six variables, namely age, gender, education, marital status, distribution across the country and political preference, measured by the 2017 House of Representatives elections.
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