Hungarians Divided Over Compulsory Vaccination

Half of the people surveyed in Hungary are in favor of compulsory vaccination, while the other half are against it, and one in ten unvaccinated people would take the vaccine if they could choose between the types, according to a Publicus Institute survey commissioned by the daily Népszava.

As the research shows, 72% of the unvaccinated would not ask for the vaccine even if they could choose the favored type. Half of those who refuse vaccination generally trust vaccines, but not those developed against the new coronavirus infection, and 8-8% are either completely against vaccination or skeptical about the disease itself.

The survey found that the highest proportion (77%) of people in the capital took the third vaccine, with the lowest proportion of those with three jabs in the county towns. On the question of making vaccination compulsory, there was a wide split among respondents, with 45-45% nodding yes and no. In terms of party preference, 54% of government supporters were in favor of compulsory vaccination, while DK and Momentum supporters were the most in favor of compulsory vaccination on the opposition side, with the right-wing being the least in favor. However, it also showed that more than half of pensioners and those living in apartment blocks would support vaccination for all – 54% of those living in prefabricated flats reject compulsory vaccination.

54% of respondents, three-quarters of Budapest residents and half of all city dwellers in the country think that only vaccinated and protected people should be allowed into places such as hotels and restaurants. Two thirds of respondents said that compulsory vaccination should be "an individual decision in a democracy", while 21% feared that it would cause tensions because of distrust of the vaccine.