The idea of imposing tougher restrictions on unvaccinated people has proven controversial, but according to a new poll, the majority of people in Germany are actually in favour of it. 

Majority in Germany in favour of restrictions for unvaccinated

If it came to it, the majority of people in Germany would support stricter rules for unvaccinated individuals, for example at events or in restaurants and bars. In a survey conducted by the polling institute YouGov, 58 percent of respondents were in favour of stricter rules for unvaccinated people. 

28 percent said that the same rules should apply to both vaccinated and unvaccinated people, while 9 percent said they were against all measures to combat COVID-19. 

Since August 23, the so-called 3G rule has applied nationwide in Germany, meaning that certain public spaces can only be accessed by those who are either vaccinated, recovered or tested. Some states, including Hamburg and Berlin, have gone a step further to introduce “2G rules” in some spaces, essentially making them off-limits to unvaccinated people. 

Support for tougher rules increases with age

The survey found that support for this kind of 2G system was higher among older age groups, with 71 percent of respondents aged 60 and over in favour of stricter rules for the unvaccinated. At the other end of the spectrum, only 36 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds expressed support for this kind of system. 

The survey also uncovered regional differences: while 60 percent of respondents in Germany’s western federal states said they were in favour of tougher rules for the unvaccinated, the figure was only 49 percent in the eastern states.