More than half of Australians satisfied with government response to pandemic, study reveals

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

Taking the pulse of the nation: Melbourne Institute’s survey of the impact of COVID-19 in Australia is a new weekly survey conducted by the Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic and Social Research to gauge the impact of COVID-19 in Australia.

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

It has been designed 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 1200 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 per cent of Australians report being moderately to very satisfied with government economic policies to support jobs and keep people at work, and more than 80 per cent expect the impact of the pandemic to last for longer than six months.

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

University of Melbourne Professor Abigail Payne, Director of the Melbourne Institute, said: “This project tracks the views of Australians on critical matters related to the impact of COVID-19. 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.”

Lead University of Melbourne researcher Professor Guay Lim said: “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. However, notwithstanding various income support schemes and expanded mental health services, close to 30 per cent said they are financially stressed and around 20 per cent 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.”

The first report is available on the Melbourne Institute’s website.