A nationwide opinion poll on the novel coronavirus conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun in March and April showed that many people were worried about facing discrimination if they got infected, despite believing that they would not discriminate against people who were infected.
According to the poll, 88% of respondents said discrimination against people infected with the novel coronavirus exists in Japanese society and 83% said they were worried about experiencing discrimination if they got infected with the virus.
On the other hand, 81% of respondents said that if they learned that someone around them had been infected with the virus, they would be able to interact with the person in the same way as before.
When asked whether they agreed with the opinion that "Infected people are largely responsible for getting infected," 46% of respondents agreed and 53% disagreed.
Asked if they have felt anger toward people who did not wear masks in public without valid reasons, 61% said yes, while 38% said no.
Regarding COVID-19 vaccinations, 82% said inoculation can be expected to contain the pandemic, and 87% wanted to be vaccinated: 33% of respondents said they wanted to receive the shots "as soon as possible" and 54% said they were "not in a rush but would eventually like to be vaccinated."
Respondents were asked about their trust in five entities regarding their responses to the pandemic. Topping the list was "Medical institutions," which 91% of respondents said they trusted. "Government expert panel" came second with 78%, followed by "local governments" at 71%. "The Japanese government" and "The World Health Organization (WHO)" were the lowest at 50% each.
The poll was conducted from March 9 to April 15 targeting 3,000 eligible voters nationwide, and 2,155 people, or 72%, responded.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
