"Recovered 64% to Pre-COVID Levels"... Daily Life Recovery Also Hits Record High

At 64.4, Highest in 3 Years of COVID-19... Indoor Mask Wearing Rate Declines
1 in 3 Citizens "Will Not Participate in Winter Vaccination"

[Asia Economy Reporter Byeon Seon-jin] A survey revealed that the public feels that their daily lives have recovered to about 64% of the pre-COVID-19 level. The indoor mask-wearing rate has gradually decreased, and one in three people said they would not get vaccinated this winter season.

Professor Yoo Myung-soon’s research team at Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, together with Case Stat Research, announced on the 22nd that these results came from the "Winter COVID-19 Public Perception Survey" conducted from the 3rd to the 7th, targeting 1,000 adults nationwide aged 18 and over.

In this survey, the degree of daily life recovery compared to before COVID-19 scored 64.4 points, up 2.9 points from the August survey (61.5 points). The daily life recovery score reached its highest since the first survey in April 2020, which recorded 46.6 points. The research team explained, "The 'fear of stigma' due to infection was high at over 7 out of 10 people in early 2020, but it has now decreased to about half that level."

The indoor mask-wearing rate was 87.1%, slightly lower than the previous survey. The indoor mask-wearing rate was 92.6% in the October survey last year, then 90.5% in November, 88.9% in March, and 89.2% in August, showing a downward trend.

Stress caused by wearing masks has also decreased. Only 36.0% of respondents said they feel stressed by wearing masks, a slight decrease from 37.6% in the September survey. In the first survey in June 2020, 63.5% responded that they felt stressed by masks.

The response that "indoor mask mandates should be lifted" decreased compared to the previous survey. In the September survey, 55.0% thought lifting was possible, but this survey showed a decrease to 45.7%. This is interpreted as a result of heightened vigilance toward quarantine measures due to the onset of the seventh wave. 34.3% of respondents said "partial or phased lifting is possible even now," and 11.4% said "complete lifting is possible from now."

Responses indicating "I will continue wearing masks even if indoor mask-wearing changes to a recommendation" accounted for 40.8%. The next largest group, at 30.8%, said they would "follow the behavior of those around them or their affiliated group," while 21.3% said they would "wear masks briefly but eventually stop," and 4.9% said they would "not wear masks immediately."

Responses stating "additional COVID-19 vaccinations this winter are unnecessary" accounted for 36.3%. When asked about the importance of COVID-19 vaccination, 14.6% considered it unimportant. Regarding reasons for not getting vaccinated, 63.0% responded that they believe the infection prevention effect is small. Professor Yoo pointed out, "Health authorities need to make more diverse communication efforts to sufficiently share with the public the meaning and goals of vaccination in preventing and managing infections and infection outbreaks."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.