Background: Mandating vaccination against COVID-19 is often discussed as a means to counter low vac-
cine uptake. Beyond the potential legal, ethical, and psychological concerns, a successful implementation
also needs to consider citizens’ support for such a policy. Public attitudes toward vaccination mandates
and their determinants might differ over time and, hence, should be monitored.
Methods: Between April 2020 and April 2021, we investigated public support for mandatory vaccination
policies in Germany and examined individual correlates, such as vaccination intentions, confidence in
vaccine safety, and perceived collective responsibility, using a series of cross-sectional, quota-
representative surveys (overall N = 27,509).
Results: Support for a vaccination mandate declined before the approval of the first vaccine against
COVID-19 in December 2020 and increased afterwards. However, at the end of April 2021, only half of
respondents were in favor of mandatory regulations. In general, mandates were endorsed by those
who considered the vaccines to be safe, anticipated practical barriers, and felt responsible for the collec-
tive. On the contrary, perceiving vaccination as unnecessary and weighing the benefits and risks of vac-
cination was related to lower support. Older individuals and males more often endorsed vaccination
mandates than did younger participants and females. Interestingly, there was a gap between vaccination
intentions and support for mandates, showing that the attitude toward mandatory vaccination was not
only determined by vaccination-related factors such as vaccine safety or prosocial considerations.
Conclusions: Because of low public support, mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 should be consid-
ered a measure of last resort in Germany. However, if removing barriers to vaccination and educational
campaigns about vaccine safety and the societal benefits of high vaccination uptake are not sufficient for
increasing vaccination uptake to the required levels, mandates could be introduced. In this case, mea-
sures to ensure and increase acceptance and adherence should be taken.