Objective To answer the question: Why do people consent to being vaccinated with novel vaccines against SARS-CoV-2?Design Representative survey.Setting Online panel.Participants 1032 respondents of the general German population.Method A representative survey among German citizens in November/December 2021 that resulted in 1032 complete responses on vaccination status, sociodemographic parameters and opinions about the COVID-19 situation.Results Almost 83% of the respondents were vaccinated. The major motivation was fear of medical consequences of an infection and the wish to lead a normal life again. The major motivation to be not vaccinated was the fear of side effects and scepticism about long-term effectiveness and safety. Sixteen per cent of vaccinated respondents reported some serious side effect, while more than 30% reported health improvements, mostly due to the relief of psychological stress and social reintegration. We also validated a ‘Corona Orthodoxy Score—COS’ consisting of seven items reflecting opinions on COVID-19. The scale is reliable (alpha=0.76) and unidimensional. The COS was a highly significant predictor of vaccination status and readiness to be vaccinated in a multivariable logistic regression model. Those who were vaccinated were more likely to live in smaller households (OR=0.82, p=0.024), had a higher income (OR=1.27, p