According to a recently released survey conducted by the World Economic Forum and Ipsos, there is growing support among workers around the globe for workplace Covid control methods. On average, about three in four employed adults agree that everyone in their workplace should be fully vaccinated (78 percent). Up to 78 percent believe that the unvaccinated should at least undergo frequent testing and approximately 81 percent of those surveyed agree that masks should be worn in common areas. The survey also found that up to 62 percent of workers globally did not feel safe if such measures were not put in place.
The survey was conducted between 22 October and 5 November, just a few weeks before the emergence of the new Omicron variant. With the possible threat of a new wave thanks to the Omicron variant, support for workplace Covid control methods are likely to increase.
The survey also highlights wide differences in COVID and workplace-related behavior and attitudes globally. Support for vaccination, testing, and mask-wearing mandates tend to be at its highest in nations such within Eastern and Southern Asia, Saudi Arabia, and Latin America. On the other hand, said support is generally lower in Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe, and the United States.
Not a Universal Need
Interestingly, there are a handful of countries that are still comfortable with going to the workplace regardless of protective mandates. The survey revealed that the majority of workers in Russia, Poland, Denmark, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US said that they would not mind going to work even if there were no mandates in place.
In China, only 12 percent of workers said that they would be comfortable in returning to a workplace with no mandates in place. Up to two-thirds said that they would rather quit their jobs or work remotely if that were the case. Other countries where at least 40 percent would either resign or work remotely in the absence of protective measures, include Malaysia, Spain, South Korea, Japan, and Peru.
