COVID-19 Theories Rampant in North Macedonia, Survey Shows

More than half of the citizens of North Macedonia, 55 per cent, said they would be unlikely to get a COVID-19 vaccination if it was offered to them, a survey carried out by the London-based think tank, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, ISD, says.

Aiming to uncover the "Implications of COVID-19 Misinformation in North Macedonia", the survey shows that the two main reasons for refusing a jab are that the vaccines may be unsafe, which 38 per cent of the respondents cited, or that they are useless, which 29 per cent of the respondents said they believe.

The poll further reveals that while most citizens, 72, per cent, are confident they can recognise misinformation and fake news related to COVID-19, the vast majority believes the pandemic does not have a natural cause or that it is part of some plot.

For every 100 people, only 12 agree with the explanation about the cause of the pandemic offered by the World Health Organisation, WHO, which says: "COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus."

The survey found out that those who do believe the official WHO explanation are much more likely to get vaccinated. Eight out of every 12 people who agree with the WHO said they will get vaccinated.

By contrast, of the 88 people who believe one or more theories that involve some form of conspiracy, only 37 said they will get vaccinated; 51 will not.

In a questionaire allowing respondents to check several options about the causes of the pandemic, close to half, 43 per cent, said they believe the virus was "engineered by humans and escaped from a laboratory".

Another 28 per cent believe in an "international plot led by a foreign state" and 24 per cent think it is part of an "international plot led by...