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State government response to Covid-19
Q. How would you rate your state government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| TOTAL: Good | 21/09 | 07/09 | 24/08 | 10/08 | 27/07 | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 |
| NSW | 67% | 57% | 59% | 61% | 62% | 63% | 70% | 65% | 67% | 62% | 65% |
| VIC | 47% | 50% | 47% | 49% | 53% | 49% | 65% | 75% | 72% | 71% | 73% |
| QLD | 68% | 66% | 73% | 68% | 67% | 69% | 64% | 67% | 68% | 69% | 74% |
| SA | 81% | 74% | 65% | 72% | 76% | 79% | 79% | 76% | 79% | 70% | 84% |
| WA | 84% | 87% | 84% | 86% | 82% | 77% | 75% | 77% | 84% | 79% | 83% |
- Positive rating of the NSW Government has rebounded this week, with 67% rating the performance as very or quite good, up from 7% earlier in August.
- Positive rating of the Victorian Government remains steady at 47% over the past two weeks.
Attitudes to latest Victorian restrictions (VICTORIA ONLY)
Q. On 6 September, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced the state’s roadmap for easing Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the updated restrictions?
| TOTAL: AGREE | 21/09 | 10/08 |
| I have a good understanding of what I am and am not allowed to do under the current restrictions | 74% | 80% |
| The restrictions affecting my area seem appropriate | 60% | 67% |
| The restrictions affecting my area will be effective at stopping the spread of Covid-19 | 64% | 63% |
| State & federal governments are doing enough to help people and businesses that are negatively affected by the restrictions | 40% | 54% |
| The changes won’t have much impact on my own lifestyle | 45% | 46% |
| VICTORIA ONLY | TOTAL:
Agree |
TOTAL: Disagree | Strongly agree | Somewhat agree | Neither agree, nor disagree | Somewhat disagree | Strongly disagree |
| I have a good understanding of what I am and am not allowed to do under the current restrictions | 74% | 6% | 43% | 31% | 20% | 2% | 4% |
| The restrictions affecting my area seem appropriate | 60% | 19% | 29% | 31% | 21% | 9% | 9% |
| The restrictions affecting my area will be effective at stopping the spread of Covid-19 | 64% | 10% | 29% | 35% | 26% | 5% | 5% |
| State & federal governments are doing enough to help people and businesses that are negatively affected by the restrictions | 40% | 24% | 15% | 26% | 36% | 16% | 8% |
| The changes won’t have much impact on my own lifestyle | 45% | 32% | 20% | 25% | 23% | 18% | 15% |
- 74% of Victorians agree they have a good understanding of what they are (and are not) allowed to do under the current restrictions, this hasn’t changed significantly from the 80% who agreed earlier the lockdowns. 60% agree that the restrictions are appropriate and 64% agree that the restrictions are effective at stopping the spread of the virus.
- 40% agree that enough is being done to help people and businesses that are negatively affected by the restrictions, this is lower that the 54% who agreed last month.
Attitudes towards Queensland border closure
Q. To what extent do you support or oppose the Queensland state government decision to close its borders to Victoria, New South Wales and ACT to prevent the spread of Covid-19?
| Total | State | |||||
| NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | ||
| Strongly oppose | 13% | 20% | 14% | 10% | 5% | 1% |
| Somewhat oppose | 13% | 16% | 13% | 12% | 7% | 7% |
| Somewhat support | 31% | 34% | 35% | 20% | 23% | 31% |
| Strongly support | 36% | 23% | 29% | 50% | 55% | 54% |
| Unsure | 8% | 7% | 10% | 8% | 9% | 7% |
| TOTAL: Oppose | 25% | 36% | 26% | 22% | 13% | 8% |
| TOTAL: Support | 66% | 57% | 64% | 70% | 78% | 85% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 352 | 274 | 212 | 85 | 104 |
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | Liberal + National | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||
| Strongly oppose | 13% | 15% | 10% | 6% | 11% | 19% | 9% | 17% | 8% | 24% |
| Somewhat oppose | 13% | 15% | 11% | 14% | 11% | 14% | 9% | 18% | 12% | 15% |
| Somewhat support | 31% | 31% | 30% | 40% | 29% | 25% | 35% | 30% | 32% | 24% |
| Strongly support | 36% | 33% | 39% | 30% | 39% | 38% | 39% | 31% | 40% | 30% |
| Unsure | 8% | 7% | 10% | 10% | 10% | 5% | 8% | 4% | 8% | 7% |
| TOTAL: Oppose | 25% | 30% | 22% | 20% | 22% | 33% | 17% | 35% | 20% | 39% |
| TOTAL: Support | 66% | 64% | 69% | 70% | 67% | 62% | 74% | 61% | 73% | 54% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 539 | 542 | 338 | 374 | 369 | 298 | 460 | 115 | 104 |
- Two-thirds (66%) of Australians support the closure of its internal borders. Support for the decision is high in Queensland (70%), WA (85%) and SA (78%) support is lower in NSW (57%).
State of the economy
Q. Overall, how would you describe the current state of the Australian economy?
| Sep’20 | Sep’19 | May’18 | Nov’17 | May’17 | Dec’16 | |
| Very good | 8% | 5% | 8% | 3% | 3% | 2% |
| Quite good | 16% | 27% | 31% | 30% | 27% | 21% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 30% | 32% | 32% | 38% | 36% | 37% |
| Quite poor | 32% | 25% | 18% | 17% | 23% | 28% |
| Very poor | 14% | 8% | 6% | 7% | 6% | 8% |
| Unsure | 2% | 3% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 4% |
| NET: Good | 23% | 32% | 39% | 33% | 30% | 23% |
| NET: Poor | 46% | 33% | 24% | 24% | 29% | 36% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 1,097 | 1,033 | 1,021 | 1,007 | 1,001 |
| Total | Gender | Age | ||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | ||
| Very good | 8% | 11% | 4% | 9% | 12% | 1% |
| Quite good | 16% | 18% | 13% | 21% | 16% | 11% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 30% | 28% | 31% | 34% | 30% | 26% |
| Quite poor | 32% | 30% | 33% | 23% | 29% | 41% |
| Very poor | 14% | 12% | 16% | 9% | 12% | 20% |
| Unsure | 2% | 1% | 2% | 3% | 1% | 1% |
| NET: Good | 23% | 29% | 17% | 30% | 28% | 12% |
| NET: Poor | 46% | 42% | 49% | 33% | 41% | 61% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 539 | 542 | 338 | 374 | 369 |
| Total | Federal Voting Intention | ||||
| Labor | Coalition | Greens | Independent / Other | ||
| Very good | 8% | 4% | 10% | 7% | 9% |
| Quite good | 16% | 13% | 20% | 13% | 13% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 30% | 26% | 29% | 33% | 29% |
| Quite poor | 32% | 38% | 28% | 34% | 33% |
| Very poor | 14% | 18% | 12% | 12% | 16% |
| Unsure | 2% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 0% |
| NET: Good | 23% | 17% | 30% | 19% | 22% |
| NET: Poor | 46% | 56% | 39% | 46% | 49% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 298 | 460 | 115 | 104 |
- Rating of the state of the economy has fallen in the last year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now 23% of people the state of the economy as very or quite good, down 9%pts from 32% last year. Over the same time those rating the economy as poor (very/quite) has increased from 33% to 46%.
- Those most pessimistic about the state of the economy include women (17% rating very/quite good, down from 30% last year), people aged over 55 (12%, down from 31% last year) Labor voters (17%) and Greens voters (19%).
- Rating of the economy among Coalition voters has dropped from 45% very/quite good in Sep’19 to 30% this year.
Indictors of whether the Australian economy is in a good or poor state
Q. Which of the following indicators do you think is the most important when thinking about whether the Australian economy is in a good or poor state?
| Sep’20 | Sep’19 | |
| The unemployment rate | 39% | 25% |
| The cost of household bills | 13% | 22% |
| The value of the Australian dollar to international currencies | 12% | 13% |
| The amount of homeless people on the streets | 8% | 10% |
| The interest rate set by Reserve Bank of Australia | 6% | 9% |
| The gross domestic product per person | 7% | 8% |
| The consumer price index | 6% | 6% |
| The size of the national surplus | 6% | 6% |
| The number of new shops, restaurants and cafes opening | 3% | 2% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 1,097 |
| Total | Gender | Age | ||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | ||
| The unemployment rate | 39% | 34% | 44% | 38% | 42% | 38% |
| The cost of household bills | 13% | 12% | 14% | 14% | 14% | 11% |
| The value of the Australian dollar to international currencies | 12% | 13% | 10% | 19% | 9% | 8% |
| The amount of homeless people on the streets | 8% | 10% | 7% | 9% | 9% | 7% |
| The interest rate set by Reserve Bank of Australia | 6% | 5% | 6% | 2% | 7% | 8% |
| The gross domestic product per person | 7% | 9% | 5% | 4% | 6% | 10% |
| The consumer price index | 6% | 8% | 4% | 8% | 5% | 5% |
| The size of the national surplus | 6% | 5% | 8% | 4% | 5% | 9% |
| The number of new shops, restaurants and cafes opening | 3% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 4% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 539 | 542 | 338 | 374 | 369 |
- People rating the unemployment level as the key indicator for a healthy economy has increased in the past 12 months from 25% to 39% while the cost of household bills has fallen from 22% to 13%. All other indicators remain consistent.
State of the economy in next six months
Q. How do you think the economy will look in the next six months?
| Total | Gender | Age | ||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | ||
| The economy will improve in the next six months | 25% | 29% | 21% | 27% | 29% | 20% |
| The economy will stay the same in the next six months | 39% | 37% | 40% | 43% | 37% | 37% |
| The economy will get worse in the next six months | 36% | 33% | 39% | 30% | 35% | 43% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 539 | 542 | 338 | 374 | 369 |
| Total | Federal Voting Intention | ||||
| Labor | Coalition | Greens | Independent / Other | ||
| The economy will improve in the next six months | 25% | 24% | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| The economy will stay the same in the next six months | 39% | 35% | 41% | 38% | 35% |
| The economy will get worse in the next six months | 36% | 40% | 28% | 43% | 46% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 298 | 460 | 115 | 104 |
- A quarter of people expect the economy to improve in the next months, lower than the 36% who expect it to get worse. 39% do not expect any change.
- Older people aged over 55 are more likely than those aged 18-34 to expect the economy to get worse over the next six months (43% to 30%).
- 31% of Coalition voters think the economy will improve in the next six months, compared to 24% of Labor voters, 19% of Greens voters and 19% of independent/other minor party voters.
Effectiveness of higher income earners tax cuts at stimulating the economy
Q. The federal government is considering bringing forward tax cuts currently planned for 2022 which will give higher income earners much bigger tax cuts than those on lower incomes.
Which of these options do you most support?
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | Liberal + National | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||
| The government should bring forward these tax cuts to this year | 33% | 34% | 31% | 33% | 41% | 24% | 28% | 40% | 26% | 29% |
| The government should stick to the existing timetable of 2022 | 29% | 31% | 27% | 40% | 25% | 24% | 29% | 31% | 28% | 26% |
| The government should scrap these tax cuts and spend the money on other priorities | 38% | 35% | 42% | 27% | 34% | 52% | 43% | 29% | 46% | 45% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 539 | 542 | 338 | 374 | 369 | 298 | 460 | 115 | 104 |
| Total | Household Income | |||
| TOTAL: Lower Income
(Up to $51,999 per year) |
TOTAL: Mid Income ($52,000-$103,999 per year) | TOTAL: Higher Income
(More than $104,000 per year) |
||
| The government should bring forward these tax cuts to this year | 33% | 25% | 29% | 46% |
| The government should stick to the existing timetable of 2022 | 29% | 24% | 33% | 27% |
| The government should scrap these tax cuts and spend the money on other priorities | 38% | 50% | 37% | 27% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 359 | 318 | 317 |
- 33% would support a decision to fast-track tax cuts for high income earners from 2022 to 2020. 29% think the cuts should keep to the existing timetable of 2022, while 38% think they should be scrapped.
- Fast-tracking the tax cuts has greatest support among those with a high household income (46%), while only 25% of those in a household with a lower income, and 29% of people in a mid-income household.
Effectiveness of higher income earners tax cuts at stimulating the economy
Q. Thinking about tax cuts which benefit higher income earners, which of the following statements is closer to your views?
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | Liberal + National | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||
| Tax cuts for higher income earners are very effective at stimulating the economy because people will spend the additional money | 21% | 24% | 18% | 23% | 28% | 13% | 17% | 27% | 12% | 20% |
| Tax cuts for higher income earners are only moderately effective at stimulating the economy because only some of the additional money will be spent | 41% | 41% | 40% | 52% | 38% | 33% | 36% | 45% | 45% | 38% |
| Tax cuts for higher income earners are not effective at stimulating the economy because people will save and not spend any additional money they receive | 38% | 35% | 42% | 25% | 34% | 54% | 47% | 28% | 43% | 42% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 539 | 542 | 338 | 374 | 369 | 298 | 460 | 115 | 104 |
| Total | Household Income | |||
| TOTAL: Lower Income
(Up to $51,999 per year) |
TOTAL: Mid Income ($52,000-$103,999 per year) | TOTAL: Higher Income
(More than $104,000 per year) |
||
| Tax cuts for higher income earners are very effective at stimulating the economy because people will spend the additional money | 21% | 18% | 24% | 23% |
| Tax cuts for higher income earners are only moderately effective at stimulating the economy because only some of the additional money will be spent | 41% | 34% | 39% | 49% |
| Tax cuts for higher income earners are not effective at stimulating the economy because people will save and not spend any additional money they receive | 38% | 48% | 37% | 27% |
| Base (n) | 1,081 | 359 | 318 | 317 |
- One in five people (21%) believe tax cuts for higher income earners are very effective at stimulating the economy. 41% think they are only moderately effective at stimulating the economy and 38% believe they are not effective.
- Even among living in household with an annual income of over $100k, just 23% think these tax cuts would be very effective at stimulating the economy, while 49% say they would be moderately effective and 27% say they would not be effective
COVID-19 RESEARCH
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