About 82 percent of Egyptians praised the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and a majority also expected economic improvements in 2021, a survey conducted by the independent Egyptian Centre for Public Opinion Research (Baseera) showed.
While the majority of respondents praised the government’s action against the pandemic, 15 percent did not agree and three percent said they could not decide.
The poll was conducted on a sample of 1,515 citizens from across the country, aged 18 and above, via mobile phones and landlines from 7 to 13 December.
On the possibility of taking COVID-19 vaccines if proven safe and effective, the survey revealed that 67 percent of Egyptians strongly agree to be vaccinated, 25 percent agree, and three and four percent disagree and strongly disagree, respectively. One percent of the respondents said they could not decide.
On state of current economic conditions, nine percent described them as poor, 30 percent said they were moderate and 44 percent responded they are satisfactory.
Some 78 percent of those polled said 2021 will see an economic improvement, while seven percent predicted no change and four percent forecast economic difficulties.
About 78 percent of the respondents said they are optimistic about 2021, with six percent seeing the year similar to 2020, and four percent predicting it is going to be worse.
Baseera noted that according to the responses, the elderly showed more optimism than younger generations, especially in terms of the economic expectations for 2021.
Eighty percent of the surveyed Egyptians between 30 and 49 years of age are optimistic about the new year, so are 82 percent of those aged 50 years and above. Only 69 percent of young people kept a positive outlook for 2021.
Egypt began the move towards a gradual reopening of its economy in June after shutting down in March amid the outbreak of the coronavirus, easing pandemic-related restrictions, including lifting a night-time curfew, reopening restaurants and places of worship, and resuming regular international flights as part of its plans to coexist with the virus.
Last week, the government confirmed that the country has officially entered a second wave of the pandemic, amid a sharp increase in daily reported COVID infections and deaths.
Officials said they will exercise “zero tolerance” against people who fail to adhere to preventive measures against the pandemic, imposing an EGP 50 fine for not wearing face masks in public starting Sunday.
Meanwhile, various economic indices have shown that the economy has shown resilience in the face of the negative impact of the pandemic compared to other countries in the region and worldwide.
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