Australians have largely accepted the messages on preventing the spread of COVID-19 and are giving Governments credit for their handling of the pandemic. Anxiety has risen and there is particularly strong concern about job security. Income has fallen although the Government assistance has meant that income inequality has actually shown a substantial decline.
Almost exactly two thirds of australians report in the April 2020 ANU Poll they felt anxious or worried about themselves, their family or friends.
Concern from those who are employed about about losing their job over the next year is – at 25 – , twice as high as it has been in two decades
Confidence with the federal government has more than doubled rising from 27.3% in January 2020 when the bushfires were raging to 56.6% in April
Increased Government income support had a substantial impact on inequality which declined from 7.2 in February to 6.2.
Less than one fifth of Australians think the level of concern about COVID-19 is unnecessary, and two thirds feel anxious or worried for themselves, their family or close friends. The youngest group of adults is the most concerned, even more so than the potentially more vulnerable group of those 75 and over.
Some people may not follow the physical distancing requirements because they think that they are not necessary. However, as of mid-April, this appears to be a minority view only.
Fewer than half of those surveyed think they will be infected by COVID-19 in the next six months.
But where the pandemic is having a direct impact is on employment and job security. Employment fell by around 670, 000 people, a drop that is truly unprecedented at least in modern Australian history.
Those who still have their jobs are concerned about losing them with the average perceived probability of someone losing their job over the next year at 25 per cent, almost twice as high as it has been since 2001.
Government payments have helped lift incomes of the lowest three income groups. The lowest group had an increase in income of 34 per cent. The highest income group had a fall income of 20 per cent but there was little change for the two groups just below that.
Those changes meant that income inequality actually improved substantially, falling from 7.2 in February 2020 to 6.2 by April.
There was improvement too in the standing of the Federal Government which had been battered by its response to the bushfires in January 2020. Confidence in the Federal Government more than doubled to 57% between January and April. It also rose by more than 20 per cent for state/territory governments.
Australians also thought better of each other with measures of social cohesion (trust in people, thinking they are fair and that people are helpful) improving between February and April.