In France, the United States and also in Germany, the vaccination campaigns have lost momentum and the vaccination quotas required for nationwide protection of the population are not being achieved.

Everyone who has not been vaccinated seems to be fought for by both sides - the skeptics and the supporters.

And more and more irreconcilable.

In Germany, a change in strategy is becoming apparent in both groups. Radical vaccine skeptics are changing: Instead of just disseminating disinformation online, there are now more decentralized actions on the spot, as Bielefeld sociology professor and conflict researcher Andreas Zick shows. Zick speaks of a guerrilla tactic. Protest actions are held in smaller groups in front of old people's homes and vaccination centers; the rhetoric wanders from quiet disinformation to aggressive defamation of vaccination doctors, vaccination advocates and vaccinated people. Individual vaccinators such as the general practitioner Christian Kröner in Neu-Ulm are threatened massively and referred to as murderers and traitors. The common guerrilla actions strengthen the sense of community.The constant repetition of the same slogans turns them into perceived truth - this is the truth effect known from psychology.

Many less radical vaccine skeptics as well as vaccinators who distance themselves from the guerrilla actions and use more objective arguments for their position feel cornered.

The increased pressure of vaccination advocates in politics and business and the increasing propensity for violence of the actions of radical vaccine skeptics mean that they feel less and less understood and respected by both sides.

Often they get the anger of the citizens about the guerrilla actions, at the same time they no longer know how to protest for their views without the protest being used by more radical groups for a guerrilla action.

9.5 percent definitely do not want to be vaccinated

The vaccinators are the larger group of the unvaccinated. According to data from the Institute for Applied Social Science in Bonn, 14.5 percent of the population aged 18 and over are among those hesitant who do not fundamentally refuse a vaccination, but have not yet received it. Around 9.5 percent of those over eighteen, however, plan to definitely not get vaccinated. In the 25 to 34 age group, as many as 20.5 percent do not want to be vaccinated.

While the initial aim was to convince vaccination advocates with incentives to vaccinate, more and more restrictions for unvaccinated people are now being brought into play. Some of the advances come from politics. The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach said that restrictions for unvaccinated people would be inevitable if the corona numbers in Germany continued to rise and the vaccination rates did not increase significantly. For narrow, poorly ventilated rooms, Lauterbach calls for a transition to the two-G rule, in which only vaccinated and recovered people are allowed access, but not those who tested negatively. Too often there are false negative corona antigen tests. Greens co-leader Robert Habeck expects that those who have been vaccinated will be given back their basic rights and a free life as quickly as possible. However, he also advocatesthat the corona tests remain free of charge - in contrast to many other vaccination advocates.

The economy could also force restrictions for the unvaccinated.

In accordance with the freedom of contract, a café or cinema operator can decide with whom to enter into a contract, i.e. to whom he offers his services.

In the General Equal Treatment Act, politics can restrict the freedom of contract, but only with sufficient justification - which is probably not yet given.

Germany relies little on so-called nudging

The government is now trying to work with the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) to create an information counterweight to the actions of radical vaccine skeptics and to win over those who are undecided for vaccination.

Common vaccination myths are refuted in short blocks of text on the BZgA website, and information on the various vaccines is systematically presented.

Compared to other countries, however, the federal government relies little on so-called nudging. In behavioral economics, it describes decision-making structures that make a health-promoting decision more likely without restricting freedom of choice. For example, easy-to-reach, unbureaucratic vaccination options can increase the likelihood that people will decide to vaccinate without depriving them of their choice. Nudging strategies are used much more often in other European countries and in the United States to convince vaccineers.