STADA Health Report 2020: One in five Europeans expects rapid return to normal

• One in five Europeans surveyed expects a rapid return to normal in the second half of this year with no serious financial crisis – including a third of Serbs.
• Nearly one in four of us believes the current corona pandemic will have positive consequences, such as that we will look out for each other more.
• But almost three in 10 fear that the future will bring further pandemics which could have implications such as restrictions on travel.
• Results of the Corona Special in the STADA Health Report 2020 with more than 6,200 respondents in six European countries.

Hope remains. One in five Europeans is optimistic that the corona pandemic will be over in the second half of this year, with a rapid return to normal. This is shown by a survey on the topic of corona, which was conducted in Germany, Italy, Russia, Serbia, Spain and the United Kingdom in addition to the STADA Health Report 2020. For the Corona Special, a representative survey of around 6,200 people was conducted during the second quarter of 2020.

Degrees of optimism for a quick return to normal without a serious financial crisis vary among the six countries in the survey. While this opinion is shared by an above-average 33% of Serbs, in Germany and the UK, at 15 percent each, people are more sceptical.
At the same time, however, many British also believe that corona will have a positive effect in that we will pay more attention to our fellow human beings in the future (27%) ─ an assumption that one is less likely to share in Italy (15%) and Russia (16%).

STADA Health Report:
Representative online study by Kantar on behalf of STADA.
Timeframe: February through March 2020.
Sample: Around 2,000 respondents each from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Corona special:
Representative online study by Kantar on behalf of STADA.
Timeframe: 23 through 27 April 2020.
Sample: Around 1,000 respondents

More appreciation for medical staff
A positive consequence of the crisis, which has manifested itself throughout Europe, is a significantly increased recognition for the important work that doctors, nurses and their colleagues do every day. In total, 44% of Europeans say they now have greater respect for the performance of healthcare professionals. In Italy and Spain, two countries that are very much affected by corona, this figure is even higher than half (Italy 51%; Spain 52%).

Fears of further pandemics and economic effects
Nevertheless, fears persist among many Europeans for both their physical and financial health. When asked about their outlook for the second half of 2020, 29% of respondents anticipated more frequent pandemics in the future, the consequences of which will affect us personally, for example through travel restrictions. One third of people in Spain (33%) were of this opinion, but just one in four Serbs (25%).

In Europe, the corona virus not only subjecting healthcare systems and medical professionals to a stress test. The outbreak has also left its mark on the civilian population. There is a lack of confidence, especially among Spaniards, who after the UK have seen the most deaths in Europe1: As a result of the pandemic, 42% of Spaniards expect a financial crisis in the second half of the year. On average, Europeans are slightly less pessimistic in this regard, with 36% of them anticipating a severe economic downturn.