Social Impact of COVID-19 Survey February 2021: Vaccination Attitudes and Holiday Expectations

In the November 2020 Social Impact of COVID-19 survey, respondents were asked when did they think they will take their next international flight. This question was repeated in the February 2021 survey.

In the November survey, the majority (50.6%) of respondents anticipated their next international flight would be Sometime in 2021. By February, this expectation was reported by less than one in six (15.8%) respondents. The majority (55.0%) of respondents in February expected their next international flight would be Sometime in 2022. The comparable figure for respondents in the November survey was 36.0%. In February, a quarter (23.9%) of respondents said they thought it would be 2023 or later before their next international flight compared with one in sixteen (6.8%) respondents 4 months previously. The percentage of respondents that indicated they will Never take an international flight again increased from one in thirty (3.3%) in November to one in twenty (5.3%) in February. See Table 3.1 and Figure 3.1.

In February 2021, 19.3% of male respondents expected their next international flight to be Sometime in 2021 while 56.4% thought it will be Sometime in 2022. Comparable figures for female respondents are 12.4% and 53.6% respectively. Female respondents were more likely to expect their next international flight to be 2023 or later compared with males (29.0% versus 18.6%). See Table 3.1 and Figure 3.2.

Analysis by age shows that respondents aged 35-44 were most likely (23.5%) to expect their next international flight will be Sometime in 2021, while those age 70 years and over were least likely (9.1%) to report this. More than 13% of respondents aged 70 years and over reported they expect Never to fly internationally again. See Table 3.1 and Figure 3.3.

Respondents were asked to rate, on a scale from 0 (‘Not at all’) to 10 (‘Entirely’), the extent they were following the government’s current advice and guidelines regarding COVID-19.  Responses were grouped as Low (0-5), Medium (6-8) or High (9-10).

Two in five (40.6%) respondents with low compliance reported they expect to travel Sometime in 2021, compared with one in five (20.3%) with medium compliance and over one in eight (13.1%) with high compliance. See Table 3.1.

Respondents were asked, in relation to a usual year prior to the onset of COVID-19, what type of holiday did they take. Response options were:

1. Take a holiday in the Republic of Ireland (of at least one week’s duration)
2. Take a holiday in Northern Ireland (of at least one week’s duration)
3. Take a holiday overseas (of at least one week’s duration)
4. Take short (overnight) breaks in the Republic of Ireland
5. Take short (overnight) breaks in Northern Ireland
6. Take short (overnight) breaks overseas (e.g. city breaks)
7. Did not take a holiday

This was a multiple response question.

Respondents were then asked what their holiday intentions were for 2021. The same destination options were given with Will not take a holiday also an option.

Nearly seven in ten (68.8%) respondents reported that they intend to take a holiday in the Republic of Ireland in 2021. This overall figure is negligibly different to the proportion (68.6%) of respondents that reported taking a holiday in the Republic in a usual year prior to the onset of COVID-19.  However, more respondents reported they intend to Take a holiday in the Republic of Ireland of at least one week’s duration in 2021 than would have in a typical year, 39.4% compared to 30.9%. The percentage of respondents that intend to take short (overnight) breaks is lower than would in a usual year, 51.3% compared with 59.4%.

Almost, three in four (73.3%) respondents reported that, in a typical year prior to the onset of COVID-19, they would take a holiday overseas, with more than two-thirds (67.2%) reporting they would Take a holiday overseas (of at least one week’s duration) and three in ten (29.8%) respondents stating they Take short (overnight) breaks overseas. The proportion of respondents that intend to holiday abroad in 2021 is lower than would usually do so. Less than one in six (15.9%) of respondents reported that they intend to holiday overseas in 2021, with more than one in eight (13.0%) intending to Take a holiday overseas (of at least one week’s duration) and less than one in twenty (4.6%) intending to Take short (overnight) breaks overseas.

Respondents reported that they were less likely to holiday in Northern Ireland in 2021 than in a typical year. In the February survey, 7.5% of respondents reported that they intended to holiday in Northern Ireland compared with 9.6% that reported they holiday there in a usual year.

The proportion of respondents that do not intend to take a holiday in 2021 is considerably higher than would not take one in a usual year prior to the onset of COVID-19. Over one quarter (25.8%) of respondents reported that they Will not take a holiday in 2021, compared with one in nine (11.2%) that would normally not take one. See Tables 3.2 and 3.3 and Figure 3.4.

Analysis by age shows that respondents aged 35-44 were most likely (45.3%) to report that they intend to Take a holiday in the Republic of Ireland (of at least one week’s duration) and were also the most likely (17.4%) to report they intend to Take a holiday overseas (of at least one week’s duration) in 2021. Those aged 70 and over were least likely to report they intend to take holidays of this duration in either the Republic of Ireland or overseas, 32.6% and 7.7% respectively. More than 30% of respondents aged 70 years and over said they Will not take a holiday in 2021. Respondents aged 18-34 were most likely (57.9%) to report that they will Take short (overnight) breaks in the Republic of Ireland in 2021. See Tables 3.2 and 3.3 and Figure 3.5.

Respondents living in households with children were most likely (41.4%) to report they intend to Take a holiday in the Republic of Ireland (of at least one week’s duration) in 2021. This compares with 39.6% of respondents living in households consisting of at least two adults or more only and 32.4% of those living in single adult households. Respondents living in households comprising of at least two adults or more only were most likely (57.1%) to report an intention to Take short (overnight) breaks in the Republic of Ireland. Respondents belonging to this cohort were also most likely to report they intend to holiday overseas (17.6%) or in Northern Ireland (8.1%) in 2021. Nearly 37% of adults in single adult households said they Will not take a holiday in 2021. See Tables 3.2 and 3.3 and Figure 3.6.

More than one in three (34.0%) respondents with low compliance for following the government’s current advice and guidelines regarding COVID-19 reported that they expected to holiday overseas in 2021, compared with one in five (19.3%) with medium compliance and one in seven (14.0%) with high compliance.

Almost 42% of respondents that describe their health as fair, bad, or very bad reported that they Will not take a holiday in 2021. This compares with 25.1% of respondents that rated their health as good and 14.3% of those that rated their health as very good. See Tables 3.2 and 3.3.

Nearly three in four (73.3%) respondents stated that in a usual year prior to the onset of COVID-19 they would take a holiday overseas, consisting of at least one week’s duration (67.2%) and/or short (overnight) breaks (29.8%).

One in five (19.0%) respondents that stated they would usually holiday overseas prior to the onset of COVID-19 reported that they still intend to take a holiday abroad in 2021. Nearly three in four (73.6%) of these respondents reported that they intend to holiday in the Republic of Ireland and one in eleven (8.9%) intend to holiday in Northern Ireland. One in five (19.8%) respondents that typically holiday abroad stated that they Will not take a holiday in 2021.

Of those that would normally holiday overseas, 43.0% reported they intend to Take a holiday in the Republic of Ireland (of at least one week’s duration) while 15.9% of them intend to Take a holiday overseas (of at least one week’s duration). See Table 3.4 and Figure 3.7.

The following results pertain to those that reported that in a usual year prior to the onset of COVID-19 they would holiday overseas.

A higher proportion of male than female respondents reported they intend to holiday overseas in 2021, for both holidays of at least one week’s duration (18.3% versus 13.6%) and for short (overnight) breaks (6.0% versus 4.3%).

Respondents aged 35-44 were most likely (20.8%) to report they intend to Take a holiday overseas (of at least one week’s duration in 2021 while those aged 55-69 were most likely (8.1%) to report they intended to Take short (overnight) breaks overseas.

Analysis by household composition shows that nearly one in four (24.3%) respondents living in single adult households that usually holiday overseas reported they intend to holiday overseas in 2021. Over one in five (20.6%) respondents in this category said they expect to Take a holiday overseas (of at least one week’s duration while over one in ten (10.6%) expect to Take short (overnight) breaks overseas.  Respondents in this group were also the most likely (23.3%) to state they Will not take a holiday in 2021.

Almost 32% of respondents that felt that the current Level 5 response to managing COVID-19 related risk was too extreme stated that they intend to holiday overseas in 2021, more than double the proportion (14.8%) of respondents that felt the response was not sufficient. See Table 3.4.

For further COVID-19 related information go to the CSO COVID-19 Information Hub.