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VIC: View on hotel quarantine outbreak
Q. Information released by health authorities suggests that Victoria’s Covid-19 outbreak started with breaches in hotel quarantine. Which of the following is closer to your view…?
| VICTORIA ONLY | Gender | Age group | Location | |||||
| Total | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Capital | Non-Capital | |
| This is mostly about individuals being irresponsible, and the focus should be on forcing them to be more responsible | 56% | 52% | 61% | 62% | 63% | 46% | 55% | 62% |
| This is mostly about failures in the system, with jobs in the security industry being insecure and workers not being given enough training | 44% | 48% | 39% | 38% | 37% | 54% | 45% | 38% |
| Base (n) | 499 | 238 | 261 | 149 | 154 | 196 | 388 | 111 |
- More than half of Victorians believe the breaches in quarantine are mostly about individuals being irresponsible (56%) than failures in the system (44%).
- Women (61%) and 18-34 year olds (62%) are more likely to think this is about individuals, while men (48%) and those over 55 (54%) believe this is a systemic issue.
Federal Voting Intention
Q. If a Federal election was held tomorrow, to which party would you give your first preference vote in the House of Representatives (Lower House)?
[If don’t know] Well which party are you currently leaning towards?
| This week
27/07 |
Two weeks ago
13/07 |
29/06 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | |
| Liberal / Liberal Nationals / Country Liberals | 36% | 35% | 36% | 37% | 36% | 37% |
| Nationals | 2% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Total: Coalition | 38% | 37% | 39% | 39% | 38% | 40% |
| Labor | 35% | 34% | 33% | 33% | 35% | 33% |
| Greens | 9% | 10% | 9% | 10% | 9% | 9% |
| Pauline Hanson’s One Nation | 4% | 4% | 4% | 5% | 5% | 4% |
| Other/Independent | 6% | 6% | 6% | 6% | 7% | 6% |
| Undecided | 8% | 9% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 8% |
| 2 Party Preferred (2PP+) | ||||||
| TOTAL: Coalition | 45% | 45% | 47% | 48% | 47% | 47% |
| Labor | 47% | 46% | 45% | 46% | 47% | 45% |
| Undecided | 8% | 9% | 8% | 7% | 7% | 8% |
Coronavirus concerns
Q. To what extent are you concerned about the threat of Covid-19 (coronavirus) in Australia?
| 27/07 | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 | |
| Very concerned | 43% | 36% | 25% | 28% | 27% | 32% | 30% | 33% | 34% | 32% | 39% |
| Quite concerned | 44% | 48% | 50% | 45% | 48% | 49% | 49% | 47% | 49% | 46% | 44% |
| Not that concerned | 9% | 12% | 21% | 23% | 21% | 15% | 16% | 16% | 14% | 18% | 13% |
| Not at all concerned | 4% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| Base (n) | 1,058 | 1,054 | 1,079 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,059 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,067 | 1,093 | 1,054 |
| State | |||||||
| Total | NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | ||
| Very concerned | 43% | 48% | 47% | 36% | 40% | 38% | |
| Quite concerned | 44% | 43% | 43% | 47% | 46% | 48% | |
| Not that concerned | 9% | 7% | 7% | 10% | 11% | 9% | |
| Not at all concerned | 4% | 2% | 3% | 7% | 3% | 6% | |
| Base (n) | 1,058 | 352 | 239 | 220 | 88 | 110 | |
- Concern about Covid-19 has increased again – two weeks ago 36% of participants were very concerned about the threat of Covid-19 which has increased to 43%.
- Concern is highest in New South Wales (48% are very concerned) and Victoria (47%), while states where Covid-19 cases aren’t increasing are less concerned (36% very concerned, QLD; 40% SA, 38% WA).
State Government response to Covid-19
Q. How would you rate your state government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| All States | 27/07 | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 |
| Very poor | 7% | 7% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 6% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
| Quite poor | 11% | 11% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 8% | 8% | 8% | 9% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 18% | 18% | 17% | 17% | 17% | 20% | 17% | 17% | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Quite good | 36% | 36% | 41% | 38% | 39% | 38% | 38% | 39% | 39% | 38% | 41% |
| Very good | 28% | 28% | 28% | 33% | 32% | 30% | 35% | 33% | 34% | 31% | 30% |
| TOTAL: Poor | 18% | 17% | 13% | 12% | 11% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 12% | 12% | 13% |
| TOTAL: Good | 65% | 64% | 69% | 71% | 71% | 68% | 73% | 72% | 73% | 70% | 70% |
| Base (n) | 1,058 | 1,054 | 1,079 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,059 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,067 | 1,093 | 1,054 |
| TOTAL: Good | 27/07 | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 |
| NSW | 62% | 63% | 70% | 65% | 67% | 62% | 65% | 70% | 70% | 68% | 63% |
| VIC | 53% | 49% | 65% | 75% | 72% | 71% | 73% | 71% | 71% | 72% | 77% |
| QLD | 67% | 69% | 64% | 67% | 68% | 69% | 74% | 66% | 70% | 65% | 67% |
| SA | 76% | 79% | 79% | 76% | 79% | 70% | 84% | 80% | 78% | 76% | 77% |
| WA | 82% | 77% | 75% | 77% | 84% | 79% | 83% | 86% | 83% | 79% | 76% |
| VICTORIA ONLY | 27/07 | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 |
| Very poor | 13% | 14% | 8% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Quite poor | 17% | 12% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 9% | 10% | 11% | 8% | 6% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 17% | 25% | 22% | 13% | 16% | 17% | 16% | 15% | 15% | 17% | 14% |
| Quite good | 34% | 32% | 38% | 39% | 38% | 39% | 37% | 38% | 34% | 32% | 40% |
| Very good | 19% | 17% | 26% | 36% | 34% | 33% | 36% | 33% | 37% | 40% | 37% |
| TOTAL: Poor | 30% | 26% | 13% | 11% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 14% | 14% | 11% | 9% |
| TOTAL: Good | 53% | 49% | 65% | 75% | 72% | 71% | 73% | 71% | 71% | 72% | 77% |
| Base (n) | 239 | 281 | 261 | 275 | 275 | 275 | 275 | 267 | 275 | 275 | 272 |
- Victoria’s rating of their State Government’s performance is still well below their results in June and is steady during the last fortnight (53%).
- South Australia (76%) and Western Australia (82%) have the highest state government ratings for handling the crisis.
Government response to Covid-19
Q. Overall, how would you rate the Government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| 27/07 | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 | |
| Very poor | 6% | 6% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
| Quite poor | 11% | 10% | 8% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 9% | 9% | 9% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 20% | 20% | 17% | 16% | 18% | 20% | 16% | 17% | 16% | 20% | 17% |
| Quite good | 40% | 40% | 43% | 42% | 40% | 39% | 43% | 41% | 39% | 38% | 44% |
| Very good | 24% | 24% | 27% | 30% | 30% | 28% | 30% | 32% | 32% | 28% | 26% |
| TOTAL: Poor | 16% | 16% | 12% | 11% | 12% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 13% | 14% | 13% |
| TOTAL: Good | 64% | 64% | 71% | 72% | 70% | 68% | 73% | 73% | 71% | 66% | 70% |
| Base (n) | 1,058 | 1,054 | 1,079 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,059 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,067 | 1,093 | 1,054 |
- Participants’ rating of the Federal Government’s handling of the crisis is stable from last fortnight, with 64% rating the response as good (either very or quite good).
Preference for elimination or suppression strategy
Q. Out of the following two strategies, which do you think the Australian government should pursue in its response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| Voting intention | |||||
| Total | Labor | NET: Coalition | Greens | NET: Other | |
| Elimination strategy:
Work towards removing all cases of Covid-19 in Australia |
44% | 52% | 31% | 54% | 49% |
| Suppression strategy:
Work towards minimising outbreaks and keeping the number of new cases at a manageable level for medical services until an effective vaccine is available |
56% | 48% | 69% | 46% | 51% |
| Base (n) | 1,058 | 334 | 428 | 81 | 107 |
| State | ||||||
| Total | NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | |
| Elimination strategy:
Work towards removing all cases of Covid-19 in Australia |
44% | 42% | 46% | 41% | 42% | 46% |
| Suppression strategy:
Work towards minimising outbreaks and keeping the number of new cases at a manageable level for medical services until an effective vaccine is available |
56% | 58% | 54% | 59% | 58% | 54% |
| Base (n) | 1,058 | 352 | 239 | 220 | 88 | 110 |
- The population is split on the preferred strategy to deal with Covid-19 in Australia. While 56% of participants think the Australian government should pursue a suppression strategy towards Covid-19, 46% opted for elimination of the virus.
- Suppression was the favoured b the majority of residents in all states.
- Coalition voters (69%) are more in favour of the Suppression strategy than, Labor (48%), Greens (46%) and voters for other parties (51%).
Mandatory face masks
Q. To what extent do you support or oppose the mandatory use of face masks or coverings in public places to reduce the spread of Covid-19?
| Gender | Age group | ||||||
| Total | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | ||
| Strongly oppose | 5% | 6% | 4% | 4% | 8% | 2% | |
| Somewhat oppose | 8% | 10% | 6% | 12% | 9% | 3% | |
| Neither support nor oppose | 20% | 21% | 19% | 25% | 18% | 17% | |
| Somewhat support | 27% | 28% | 25% | 26% | 27% | 28% | |
| Strongly support | 41% | 36% | 46% | 34% | 38% | 50% | |
| TOTAL: Oppose | 13% | 16% | 10% | 16% | 17% | 6% | |
| TOTAL: Support | 68% | 64% | 71% | 59% | 65% | 77% | |
| Base (n) | 1,058 | 538 | 520 | 341 | 331 | 386 | |
| State | ||||||||
| Total | NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | |||
| Strongly oppose | 5% | 2% | 5% | 8% | 4% | 5% | ||
| Somewhat oppose | 8% | 8% | 10% | 9% | 5% | 7% | ||
| Neither support nor oppose | 20% | 20% | 12% | 25% | 26% | 27% | ||
| Somewhat support | 27% | 31% | 20% | 25% | 27% | 31% | ||
| Strongly support | 41% | 39% | 53% | 33% | 38% | 30% | ||
| TOTAL: Oppose | 13% | 10% | 14% | 17% | 9% | 12% | ||
| TOTAL: Support | 68% | 70% | 74% | 58% | 65% | 61% | ||
| Base (n) | 1,058 | 352 | 239 | 220 | 88 | 110 | ||
- There is strong support for the mandatory use of face masks and coverings in public places, with two-thirds (68%) of participants supporting this enforcement. (either strongly or somewhat).
- Support for this position was highest among women (71% support), those over 55 years old (77%), people in NSW (70%) and Victorian residents (74%).
Effectiveness of face masks
Q. In your opinion, how effective are face masks or coverings at preventing the spread of Covid-19?
| Gender | Age group | ||||||
| Total | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | ||
| Very effective | 19% | 21% | 17% | 22% | 19% | 16% | |
| Quite effective | 46% | 43% | 49% | 40% | 47% | 51% | |
| Not that effective | 20% | 22% | 17% | 24% | 19% | 17% | |
| Not effective at all | 5% | 7% | 4% | 5% | 7% | 4% | |
| Unsure | 10% | 7% | 13% | 8% | 9% | 12% | |
| Base (n) | 1,058 | 538 | 520 | 341 | 331 | 386 | |
| State | |||||||
| Total | NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | ||
| Very effective | 19% | 18% | 19% | 20% | 19% | 13% | |
| Quite effective | 46% | 49% | 56% | 34% | 43% | 42% | |
| Not that effective | 20% | 19% | 14% | 24% | 25% | 26% | |
| Not effective at all | 5% | 4% | 5% | 10% | 2% | 6% | |
| Unsure | 10% | 11% | 6% | 13% | 12% | 13% | |
| Base (n) | 1,058 | 352 | 239 | 220 | 88 | 110 | |
- There is widespread belief that using face masks can reduce the spread of the virus, 19% think they are very effective and 46% quite effective. Just 5% thinking they are not effective at all effective in preventing the spread of Covid-19.
- Victorians are most likely to believe masks are effective at preventing the spread of Covid-19 with 19% believing they are ‘very effective’ and 56% saying ‘quite effective’.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Read Essential's ongoing research on the public response to Covid-19.
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Two Party Preferred:
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