Analysis of findings of online opinion polls
The NGO Info-centre has conducted online opinion polls on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout with medical doctors and journalists. The polls were conducted from November 10 to November 16, 2021.
The polls aimed to map the experiences, attitudes and perceptions of some medical doctors and journalists on the course of COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the cooperation with the competent institutions, the quality of information and reporting on the process, and whether the vaccine should be mandatory and if there should be a system of more restrictive measures of unvaccinated citizens.
Two questionnaires were developed for the purposes of the polls – one for the medical doctors and the other for the journalists – which were posted online and were filled in through the Google Forms platform. The questions in the questionnaires were styled as standard polling questions, asking the respondents to answer a series of questions by making a choice from a set of offered responses. All questions were mandatory and the respondents could choose a single one of the responses on offer. For several questions, the respondents were given an opportunity to select more than one of the offered responses. The poll was anonymous.
Ultimately, the poll covered 66 medical doctors (of various specialties and fields), family doctors and doctors directly involved in the vaccine rollout, as well as 27 journalists that regularly or occasionally follow and report on the process, on local and national levels.
Key Findings
Key findings of the poll of medical doctors
- Majority of polled medical doctors (57.6%) believe that the vaccine rollout in the country proceeds well.
- One half of respondents are generally satisfied with the cooperation they have with the relevant competent institutions (Ministry of Health, Institute of Public Health, MALMED, Health Insurance Fund, etc.).
- Medical doctors are divided in their opinions on the quality of health issues reporting – one half believe that the reporting and the coverage is bad, the other half see it as good or excellent.
- One half of the medical doctors believe that the main reason for the low percentage of vaccinated population is the lack of confidence of citizens in the system.
- A high proportion of 71.2% of the respondents believe that the vaccine against COVID-19 should be mandatory, and the same proportion believe that there should be a system of more restrictive measures for unvaccinated citizens.
Key findings of the poll of journalists
- Almost six out of ten journalists (59.3%) believe that the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has proceeded badly so far.
- Journalists are most satisfied with the cooperation and the access to information from the Institute of Public Health (63%), followed by the Ministry of Health (51.9%) and MALMED Agency for Medicines and Medical Equipment (37%).
- For 48.1% of the journalists, the major obstacles for reporting are the insufficient and incomplete data and statistics, as well as the limited number of experts in the relevant fields in the country.
- 44.4% of the journalists view the closed relevant institutions and the limited number of sources of information as a problem.
- Regarding the data and statistics they receive from the institutions, 48.1% of the journalists view them as partially comprehensive and comprehensible.
- Majority of the journalists (63%) believe that the main reason for the low percentage of vaccinated population is the lack of confidence of citizens in the system.
- A significant majority of journalists (77.7%) said that vaccination should be mandatory, while 59.3% believe that unvaccinated citizens should face more restrictive measures.
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