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Attitudes towards the tracing app

28 Apr 2020

Q. The Federal Government is developing an app to trace people who test positive for Covid-19 have been in contact with. The app wouldn’t track your location, but it would use Bluetooth to record any other phones around you who also had had this app. If you then tested positive for Covid-19, an identifier would allow government officials to find anyone else who may have been exposed Covid-19.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with these statements about the suggested Covid-19 tracing app?

  NET: Agree NET: Disagree Strongly agree Somewhat agree Neither agree nor disagree Somewhat disagree Strongly disagree
I would be concerned with the security of my personal data if this app was on my phone 57% 22% 28% 28% 21% 14% 8%
This app would help limit the spread of Covid-19 53% 18% 20% 33% 29% 10% 8%
This app would speed up the removal of physical distancing restrictions 46% 20% 14% 32% 34% 11% 9%
I’m confident the government will adequately protect any data it collects about me via the app 41% 30% 12% 29% 29% 14% 16%
I would download this app onto my mobile phone 40% 32% 17% 23% 28% 12% 20%

 

NET: Agree   Voting Intention
Total Labor NET: Coalition Greens NET: Other
I would be concerned with the security of my personal data if this app was on my phone 57% 64% 48% 60% 66%
This app would help limit the spread of Covid-19 53% 49% 63% 52% 45%
This app would speed up the removal of physical distancing restrictions 46% 44% 54% 43% 33%
I’m confident the government will adequately protect any data it collects about me via the app 41% 35% 53% 31% 33%
I would download this app onto my mobile phone 40% 36% 47% 45% 29%
Base (n) 1,054 327 402 93 129
  • 57% of participants agree that they would be concerned with the security of their personal data if this app was on my phone and 40% agree that they would download the app.
  • 53% agree that the app would help limit the spread of Covid-19 and another 46% agree that the app would speed up the removal of physical distancing restrictions.
  • Only 41% agree that they are confident that the government will adequately protect any data it collects about via the app.
  • Broadly, Coalition voters are more likely to agree with positive statements about the app and its data security.
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