by Antonio Noto * Forward with Super Green pass and third dose, but with diffidence. Italians are preparing for the second Christmas of the Covid era with mixed feelings. Overall, the fight against the virus and the government’s measures convince a large majority of citizens, who are still fearful of the impossibility of predicting the evolution of the disease and its effects on society. This is the element of uncertainty that shakes the conviction of having turned the page once and for all, of being able to definitively consign to history …
by Antonio
Known*
Go on with Super Green pass and third dose, but with mistrust. Italians are preparing for the second Christmas of the Covid era with mixed feelings. Overall, the fight against the virus and the government’s measures convince a large majority of citizens, who are still fearful of the impossibility of predicting the evolution of the disease and its effects on society. This is the element of uncertainty that shakes the conviction of having turned the page once and for all, of being able to definitively consign to history the most dramatic individual and collective experience of our time. Covid still looms over the life of the population and so the holiday climate does not erase fears. On the contrary, there remains a feeling of fear for something unknown or hidden, ready to disturb again the semblance of hard-won normality.
More than half of Italians, in fact, are not inclined to think that next Christmas will be a normal holiday period, 53% openly affirm it, while only 35% think the opposite. The fears relate specifically to the possible effects of the new Omicron variant. 44% fear that the vaccine being administered is ineffective and that lockdowns may return. Only less than a third of Italians, 30%, do not say they are frightened by this eventuality and just over a quarter, 26%, do not know what could actually happen in the face of the new variant. Thus 75% fear the beginning of a new wave of infections and only 20% show more optimism about it.
Instead, what inspires hope are the tools on which the government has based its strategy of containing the virus. On the one hand, the vaccine, a trusted vector, whose use on increasingly younger age groups is not scary. Indeed, almost half of Italians are ready to administer it even to under 12s, 47%, compared to 13% of those against and a quarter of undecided. A singular fact, because it reflects exactly the same proportion of those who look favorably on compulsory vaccination tout court.
An attitude of openness to science, in line with what was also hoped for by President Mattarella. These are positions that reduce the weight of the noisy minority of No vax, even in the face of the imminent injection of recall. 67% are ready to be given the third dose, against only 10% against and 15% who are still thinking about it. The Green pass and its enhanced version also appeal to Italians. In fact, the green certificate is a now familiar ‘accessory’ for those who do not want to give up on sociality. 62% also appreciate it in its ‘super’ version which is closed to non-vaccinated people and 67% agree on its use also in cinemas and restaurants.
* Director of Well-known Surveys
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