Most Aussies approve of government COVID-19 response

The majority of Australians are satisfied with the government’s handling of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, according to a new study.

The Melbourne Institute will publish a new survey weekly to gauge the impact of COVID-19 in Australia.

The survey tracks changes in the economic and social well-being of Australians living through the effects of COVID-19 and will provide a snapshot of how Australians are faring during the pandemic.

Researchers have designed the survey to support evidence-based analysis of how Australians are adapting to various changes in Federal and State government policies as the pandemic evolves and contains responses from 1,200 Australians aged 18 years and over. The sample is stratified by gender, age, and location to be representative of the Australian population.

The results of the first survey are now available, and the findings paint a picture of the general mood and sentiment of Australians toward the crisis.

In particular, the first survey found that 60% of Australians report being moderately to very satisfied with government economic policies to support jobs and keep people at work, and more than 80% expect the impact of the pandemic to last for longer than six months.

Around 30% of Australians reported feeling financially stressed in terms of paying for essential goods and services, while around 40% reported feeling financially comfortable.

“This project tracks the views of Australians on critical matters related to the impact of COVID-19,” says Abigail Payne, a professor at the University of Melbourne and Director of the Melbourne Institute. “We hope that by capturing the real-time social and economic effects of COVID-19 on the Australian population, it will help shape and guide policy and practice as we navigate the next several months.”

“This first wave of the survey results shows that the majority of Australians interviewed are satisfied with government economic policies to support jobs and to keep people at work,” says Guay Lim, lead  researcher at the University of Melbourne.

“However, notwithstanding various income support schemes and expanded mental health services, close to 30% said they are financially stressed and around 20% said they felt depressed and anxious for a lot of the time over the past week.

“With the majority of survey respondents expecting the impact of the pandemic to last for more than six months, a key question for policymakers is whether the level of support for the economically and socially disadvantaged is adequate. Timing the reawakening of the Australian economy from the expected prolonged state of hibernation is also critical.”

Source: University of Melbourne

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