STADA Health Report 2023: 46 percent of young Europeans feel Covid is responsible for their weakened immune system

• 35 percent of Europeans feel more susceptible to colds than before

• More than half of Europeans (59 percent) would still pursue intimacy with a sick partner

• STADA Health Report 2023: representative survey with over 32,000 respondents from 16 European countries

STADA Health Report: Representative online study by Human8 on behalf of STADA.
Research time frame:
March-April 2023, UZB July 2023.
Sample: around 2,000 respondents each from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Uzbekistan.

The pandemic has been declared over and most Europeans have found their way back to their everyday routines. In the aftermath, they are once again more at ease with the first signs of a common cold: the majority of Europeans do not shy away from intimacy when their partner has a cold. Nevertheless, the past few years have left a tangible mark on some: 1 in 3 Europeans (35 percent) now feel more susceptible to colds than before. This creates a rather diffuse image of Europe's emotional state with regard to colds in a post-pandemic world.

The young feel the pandemic has weakened their immune systems

Considering the past two years and the pandemic, 35 percent of Europeans now feel more susceptible to colds than before. Only 12 percent are convinced this has nothing to do with the pandemic, while 23 percent believe it to have weakened their immune system. This is especially true for the young: nearly half of those aged 18 to 34 (46 percent) feel they now fall ill more easily, and 32 percent of them believe the pandemic is to blame.

Majority of Europeans will not let a cold interfere with intimacy

59 percent of Europeans would still get intimate with their partner while he or she has a cold. Surprisingly, this is the case regardless of whether people report having good, intermediate or no health knowledge at all. Looking more closely at this number, nearly 1 in 3 Europeans (30 percent) would not want to give up kissing their partner, and an equal number (29 percent) would even consider having intercourse.

This is especially true for men: they are more likely to pursue intimacy (63 percent) in spite of a cold than women (55). Furthermore, Europeans between the ages of 18 and 34 (69 percent) are more at ease when it comes to intimacy with their sick partner than middle-aged (60 percent) and older people (50 percent). People in the Netherlands and Austria (67 percent) as well as Switzerland (66 percent) are most likely to risk possibly catching a cold while being intimate, compared to only 48 percent in the UK.

Knowledge of fever in adults alarmingly low

When it comes to Europeans' basic knowledge about the common cold and associated symptoms, there is a lot of potential for enlightenment: only 37 percent know that the lowest temperature classified as fever in adults is 38° Celsius – 45 percent estimate it at 37,5°C or less, 18 percent believe it to be 38,5°C or more. Once again, there is no significant difference when it comes to respondents' reported health knowledge: 37 percent of Europeans with good or at least some health knowledge choose the correct answer, compared to 35 percent of those who claim to have limited or no health knowledge.

About STADA Arzneimittel AG
STADA Arzneimittel AG is headquartered in Bad Vilbel, Germany. The company focuses on a three-pillar strategy consisting of generics, specialty pharma and consumer healthcare products. Worldwide, STADA Arzneimittel AG sells its products in approximately 120 countries. In the financial year 2022, STADA achieved group sales of EUR 3,797.2 million and reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of EUR 884.7 million. As of 31 December 2022, STADA employed 13,183 people worldwide.

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