Majority of Brits support need for a vaccine passport to go to the pub or eat out

01-Apr-2021 - Last updated on 27-Apr-2021 at 13:12 GMT

The majority of customers are in favour of needing a vaccine passport to be able to go to the pub or eat out in a restaurant, a new Ipsos MORI UK poll has found.

Its KnowledgePanel poll has found the public support using vaccine passports across a range of circumstances, with 62% of respondents saying they would happily have one in order to be able to go to a hospitality venue. The poll also found that there is particularly strong support for their use for people who are travelling abroad, with 78% of people supporting the passports.

Ipsos MORI interviewed 8,352 people over 16 in the UK for its research.

Brits also want to see vaccine passports being a requirement for certain jobs, with 79% believing they should be required to work on the frontline in the NHS or care sector and 65% saying they should be required for staff working in a restaurant or pub.

“Our UK KnowledgePanel findings show that the public are once again prepared to do what it takes to get out of this pandemic,” says Kelly Beaver, managing director of Public Affairs at Ipsos MORI.

“While they recognise the issues around vaccine passports, particularly their potential to exacerbate existing inequalities, their potential importance to ending lockdown and reopening the economy has won the argument for the majority of the British public.”

In February prime Minister Boris Johnson promised there would be a review into vaccine passports to enter venues like hospitality, describing 'deep and complex issues' surrounding their potential use. Some senior ministers have criticised their potential use, with Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi previously labelling them as 'discriminatory'.

While Britons recognise some of the ethical or legal issues surrounding vaccine passports, 62% believe the potential benefits to the economy outweigh any concerns, according to the poll. Vaccine passports are seen as critical to getting businesses open (60%), and a good alternative to lockdowns (61%) and are also seen as a useful means of encouraging people to get vaccinated (61%), it has found.

Prominent voices from the hospitality industry have also expressed concern over the passports, describing them as 'repressive' and 'unworkable'.