NEW YORK—Is it safe yet? This seems to be the question many are asking today as the coronavirus pandemic seems to be on a downward slope, but yet the threat of new variants taking hold is moving in the opposite direction.

At the same time, a debate about “vaccine passports” is picking up as many countries look toward something close to normalcy even amid these new virus strains. New research from Piplsay recently dug into the opinions of people on this emerging vaccine passport concept and their acceptance of it.

With the mass roll of COVID-19 vaccines, there could be a new normal headed our way, according to the research firm’s recent report.

Vaccine passports, or e-certificates that contain COVID-19 test results and vaccination status, may soon become mandatory for international travel, with many countries even contemplating using it for regular activities like concerts, games, movies and even workplaces.

While vaccination for travel is not a new concept as several countries demand proof of yellow fever vaccination even today, displaying one’s health status for everyday access may take some getting used to.

How comfortable are Americans with this emerging idea of a digital health passport? In the Piplsay poll of 30,268 people nationwide, this is what the responses looked like:

• 65 percent of Americans said they believe vaccine passports will be a useful tool to keep a check on the virus
• 64 percent of Americans support the idea of travel access based on one’s health status
• 57 percent of Americans think vaccine passports will make their visits or travel less stressful.

However, only 57 percent of the respondents believe that if a vaccine passport regulation is implemented that it will make their travel and social life less stressful (30 percent yes, to some extent; 27 percent yes, to a great extent.) And 72 percent of the respondents said they have reservations about such a passport, ranging from uncertainty about how effective vaccines are at stopping transmission to data privacy issues).

In addition, on a more granular level, 35 percent of millennials support the idea of vaccine passports for travel (this compares with 34 percent of Gen Zers and 31 percent of Gen Xers). On a gender basis, 63 percent of men and 54 percent of women believe vaccine passports will make their travel or visits less stressful.

And, somewhat surprisingly, 24 percent of millennials and Gen Xers worry about the lack of scientific proof behind the reliability of vaccine passports.

The Piplsay survey (powered by Market Cube) was conducted nationwide in the U.S. from Feb. 5-7, 2021. There were 30,268 online responses from individuals aged 18 years and older.