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The majority of respondents approves the tightening of measures

45/2020, 23.12.2020

BfR-Corona-Monitor: Expanded measures against the coronavirus pandemic are largely accepted

The population largely considers the extended regulations against the novel coronavirus to be appropriate. In the week before Christmas, an even greater number of people agreed with them. This is shown by the results of the meanwhile 25th edition of the BfR-Corona-Monitor, a regular survey conducted by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). "Both existing measures, such as contact restrictions, and new ones, such as the planned ban on fireworks, meet with broad among the population", says BfR-President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel.

Further results in the overview:

Appropriateness of regulations
In the days before Christmas, the overall acceptance of the measures increased once again. At the beginning of the month, 62 percent approved the closure of cultural institutions and 54 percent the closure of restaurants. In the current survey, the figures rose to 74 percent and 62 percent. At the same time, differences emerge with regard to age groups. Overall, 75 percent agree with the planned ban on fireworks. But while 87 percent of the 60+ generation think it is appropriate, only 61 percent of those under 40 do. Older people, compared to younger people, are also more accepting of the curfew, which has been reintroduced in some regions of Germany (64 percent versus 43 percent).

Individual protection
The majority of the population continues to protect themselves by wearing a mask, keeping their distance from other people and washing their hands more thoroughly (in each case, over 90 percent of respondents in the current survey).The reduction of social contacts and of out-of-home activities as further protective measures have increased since September and reach their highest level so far in the current survey, shortly before Christmas (86 percent and 80 percent).

Information behaviour
People use various information channels to inform themselves about the current situation. Television, radio and personal contacts are most frequently mentioned as daily sources of information. In some cases, information behaviour differs considerably between age groups. While 87 percent of the 60+ generation in the current survey uses television to obtain information about the coronavirus on a daily basis, the figure for the under-40s is only 20 percent. With 31 percent, on the other hand, the latter also make greater use of social media such as Twitter and Instagram, while only 9 percent of the older generation (60 years and older) use this medium for daily information.

What happens next?
The BfR-Corona-Monitor will continue in 2021. The survey will continue to be carried out every two weeks and will comprise around 1,000 people at a time.

The BfR continually adapts its FAQs on the topic of coronavirus to the current state of science:

About the BfR-Corona-Monitor

The BfR-Corona-Monitor is a recurring (multi-wave) representative survey of the German population's perception of risks from the novel coronavirus. Every week between 24 March and 26 May 2020, around 500 randomly selected people were asked by telephone about their assessment of the risk of infection and their protective measures, among other things. Since June 2020, the survey is continued every two weeks with about 1,000 respondents each. A summary of the data is regularly published on the homepage of the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. More information about the method and sample can be found in publications about the BfR-Corona-Monitor.

About the BfR

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in Germany. It advises the German federal government and German federal states ("Laender") on questions of food, chemical and product safety. The BfR conducts its own research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks.

This text version is a translation of the original German text which is the only legally binding version.

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BfR-Corona-MONITOR

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