Christmas free-for-all gets thumbs down
Christmas is on the horizon and people are thinking about what Christmas will be like this year. One thing is for certain it won’t be like other years. Quizzed by researchers at Ghent University only 8% of the respondents to a survey were looking forward to a traditional Christmas celebration with the whole family around the table.
The survey revealed the depth of concern: people are worried about getting infected but also about infecting other people and for the result to be a situation that can no longer be controlled.
Researchers put four different scenarios to those quizzed: a Christmas without restrictions (8% support), one under the present restrictions on the number of people visiting the home (30% support), a third with two extra guests (27%) and a fourth with four extra guests (35%). The Christmas without any restrictions got scant support, while opinion was more equally divided between the other three options (support figures behind options above).
Ghent University has been monitoring support at large for corona measures since the start of the epidemic. In recent days support levels have increased, rising to 65%. The survey showed that for Christmas people are motivated to stick to the rules. It revealed little difference in people’s willingness to stick to the rules in all four options. The survey didn’t show that people were more inclined to stick or not to stick to the restrictions in any of the four options.