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Coronavirus concerns
Q. To what extent are you concerned about the threat of Covid-19 (coronavirus) in Australia?
| 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 | |
| Very concerned | 36% | 25% | 28% | 27% | 32% | 30% | 33% | 34% | 32% | 39% |
| Quite concerned | 48% | 50% | 45% | 48% | 49% | 49% | 47% | 49% | 46% | 44% |
| Not that concerned | 12% | 21% | 23% | 21% | 15% | 16% | 16% | 14% | 18% | 13% |
| Not at all concerned | 3% | 4% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| Base (n) | 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 | 36% | 42% | 46% | 25% | 33% | 26% | |
| Quite concerned | 48% | 46% | 45% | 49% | 44% | 55% | |
| Not that concerned | 12% | 8% | 8% | 19% | 21% | 13% | |
| Not at all concerned | 3% | 3% | 1% | 6% | 1% | 7% | |
| Base (n) | 1,054 | 320 | 281 | 226 | 82 | 98 | |
- Concern about Covid-19 has increased from last month. In June 25% said they were very concerned about the threat of Covid-19 – this has increased to 36% this week.
- Concern is highest in Victoria (46% are very concerned) and NSW (42%), while lower in Queensland (25% and Western Australia (26%).
Government response to Covid-19
Q. Overall, how would you rate the Government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 | |
| Very poor | 6% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
| Quite poor | 10% | 8% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 9% | 9% | 9% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 20% | 17% | 16% | 18% | 20% | 16% | 17% | 16% | 20% | 17% |
| Quite good | 40% | 43% | 42% | 40% | 39% | 43% | 41% | 39% | 38% | 44% |
| Very good | 24% | 27% | 30% | 30% | 28% | 30% | 32% | 32% | 28% | 26% |
| TOTAL: Poor | 16% | 12% | 11% | 12% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 13% | 14% | 13% |
| TOTAL: Good | 64% | 71% | 72% | 70% | 68% | 73% | 73% | 71% | 66% | 70% |
| Base (n) | 1,054 | 1,079 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,059 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,067 | 1,093 | 1,054 |
- Rating of the Federal Government’s handling of the crisis has declined from last month. 64% now rate the Governments response as good (Very good or quite good), down from 71% in June.
- Victoria has the lowest rating (60% rated very/quite good, down from 70% in June).
State Government response to Covid-19
Q. How would you rate your state government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| All States | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 |
| Very poor | 7% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 6% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
| Quite poor | 11% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 8% | 8% | 8% | 9% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 18% | 17% | 17% | 17% | 20% | 17% | 17% | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| Quite good | 36% | 41% | 38% | 39% | 38% | 38% | 39% | 39% | 38% | 41% |
| Very good | 28% | 28% | 33% | 32% | 30% | 35% | 33% | 34% | 31% | 30% |
| TOTAL: Poor | 17% | 13% | 12% | 11% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 12% | 12% | 13% |
| TOTAL: Good | 64% | 69% | 71% | 71% | 68% | 73% | 72% | 73% | 70% | 70% |
| Base (n) | 1,054 | 1,079 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,059 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,067 | 1,093 | 1,054 |
| TOTAL: Good | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 |
| NSW | 63% | 70% | 65% | 67% | 62% | 65% | 70% | 70% | 68% | 63% |
| VIC | 49% | 65% | 75% | 72% | 71% | 73% | 71% | 71% | 72% | 77% |
| QLD | 69% | 64% | 67% | 68% | 69% | 74% | 66% | 70% | 65% | 67% |
| SA | 79% | 79% | 76% | 79% | 70% | 84% | 80% | 78% | 76% | 77% |
| WA | 77% | 75% | 77% | 84% | 79% | 83% | 86% | 83% | 79% | 76% |
- The positive rating of the State Government in Victoria has dropped from 65% in June to 49% this week. 17% think the Victorian government is doing a very good job (down from 26%) and those thinking they’ve done a quite good job has fallen from 28% to 32%.
- Southern Australia (79%) and Western Australia (77%) have the highest state government ratings at handling the crisis.
| VICTORIA ONLY | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 |
| Very poor | 14% | 8% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 3% |
| Quite poor | 12% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 9% | 10% | 11% | 8% | 6% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 25% | 22% | 13% | 16% | 17% | 16% | 15% | 15% | 17% | 14% |
| Quite good | 32% | 38% | 39% | 38% | 39% | 37% | 38% | 34% | 32% | 40% |
| Very good | 17% | 26% | 36% | 34% | 33% | 36% | 33% | 37% | 40% | 37% |
| TOTAL: Poor | 26% | 13% | 11% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 14% | 14% | 11% | 9% |
| TOTAL: Good | 49% | 65% | 75% | 72% | 71% | 73% | 71% | 71% | 72% | 77% |
| Base (n) | 281 | 261 | 275 | 275 | 275 | 275 | 267 | 275 | 275 | 272 |
- At the same time, those rating the Victorian state Government’s performance as very or quite poor has doubled from 13% in June to 26% this week.
Coronavirus concerns
Q. To what extent are you concerned about the threat of Covid-19 (coronavirus) in Australia?
| 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 | 20/04 | |
| Very concerned | 25% | 28% | 27% | 32% | 30% | 33% | 34% | 32% | 39% | 44% |
| Quite concerned | 50% | 45% | 48% | 49% | 49% | 47% | 49% | 46% | 44% | 43% |
| Not that concerned | 21% | 23% | 21% | 15% | 16% | 16% | 14% | 18% | 13% | 11% |
| Not at all concerned | 4% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 3% | 2% |
| Base (n) | 1,079 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,059 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,067 | 1,093 | 1,054 | 1,051 |
Likelihood of developing Coronavirus
Q. How likely do you think it is, that you will develop Covid-19?
| 22/08 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 | 20/04 | |
| Very likely | 8% | 6% | 6% | 7% | 5% | 6% | 6% | 5% | 5% | 7% |
| Somewhat likely | 23% | 19% | 22% | 23% | 22% | 25% | 24% | 26% | 21% | 25% |
| Somewhat unlikely | 49% | 49% | 47% | 48% | 51% | 48% | 48% | 46% | 50% | 52% |
| Very unlikely | 21% | 26% | 25% | 22% | 23% | 21% | 21% | 23% | 23% | 17% |
| Base (n) | 1,079 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,059 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,067 | 1.093 | 1,054 | 1,051 |
Likelihood of second wave
Q. How likely do you think it is, that there will be a second wave of Covid-19 infections will occur as a result of easing restrictions?
| Total | Gender | Age Group | ||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | ||
| Very likely | 20% | 18% | 21% | 18% | 24% | 17% |
| Quite likely | 43% | 41% | 45% | 40% | 40% | 50% |
| Neither likely nor unlikely | 24% | 26% | 23% | 28% | 24% | 21% |
| Quite unlikely | 10% | 11% | 8% | 11% | 8% | 10% |
| Very unlikely | 3% | 4% | 2% | 4% | 4% | 2% |
| TOTAL: Likely | 63% | 59% | 67% | 58% | 64% | 67% |
| TOTAL: Unlikely | 13% | 15% | 10% | 14% | 12% | 12% |
| Base (n) | 1,079 | 525 | 554 | 332 | 362 | 385 |
| State | |||||
| NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | |
| Very likely | 21% | 24% | 20% | 14% | 14% |
| Quite likely | 41% | 45% | 43% | 45% | 43% |
| Neither likely nor unlikely | 27% | 21% | 24% | 23% | 24% |
| Quite unlikely | 9% | 7% | 10% | 11% | 15% |
| Very unlikely | 3% | 2% | 3% | 6% | 4% |
| TOTAL: Likely | 62% | 70% | 63% | 59% | 57% |
| TOTAL: Unlikely | 12% | 9% | 13% | 18% | 19% |
| Very likely | 352 | 261 | 216 | 88 | 110 |
- 63% of participants think a second wave of Covid-19 infections is probable with women (67%) and 55+ year olds (67%) more likely to say this will happen.
- Victorians (70%) are more likely than other state residents to think a second wave is probable (61%), which coincides with the announcement of 19 new cases over the weekend.
- There are no significant differences across voting intentions.
Time to return to normal
Q. Thinking about the future, how long do you think it will take for the following to occur?
| Within the next six months | Seven months up to one year | One to two years | More than two years | Never | |
| Quarantine will no longer required after international travel | 12% | 27% | 35% | 22% | 4% |
| A Covid-19 vaccine will be developed | 11% | 22% | 43% | 20% | 4% |
| The housing market will return pre-pandemic levels | 11% | 22% | 38% | 25% | 4% |
| International travel will be allowed without restriction | 10% | 23% | 39% | 24% | 4% |
| Unemployment will return to pre-pandemic levels | 8% | 17% | 37% | 33% | 6% |
| The population will build resistance to Covid-19 through exposure (herd immunity) | 8% | 15% | 31% | 27% | 20% |
| Australia will pay off its national debt | 5% | 9% | 12% | 52% | 22% |
| WITHIN NEXT SIX MONTHS | Gender | Age Group | |||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | |
| Quarantine will no longer required after international travel | 13% | 10% | 14% | 14% | 7% |
| A Covid-19 vaccine will be developed | 15% | 8% | 16% | 12% | 7% |
| The housing market will return pre-pandemic levels | 13% | 8% | 15% | 11% | 6% |
| International travel will be allowed without restriction | 12% | 9% | 16% | 13% | 4% |
| Unemployment will return to pre-pandemic levels | 8% | 7% | 13% | 8% | 3% |
| The population will build resistance to Covid-19 through exposure (herd immunity) | 9% | 7% | 11% | 9% | 3% |
| Australia will pay off its national debt | 7% | 3% | 9% | 6% | 1% |
| Base (n) | 525 | 554 | 332 | 362 | 385 |
Government response to Covid-19
Q. Overall, how would you rate the Government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| 22/08 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | 27/04 | 20/04 | |
| Very poor | 4% | 3% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 5% |
| Quite poor | 8% | 8% | 8% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 9% | 9% | 9% | 10% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 17% | 16% | 18% | 20% | 16% | 17% | 16% | 20% | 17% | 21% |
| Quite good | 43% | 42% | 40% | 39% | 43% | 41% | 39% | 38% | 44% | 42% |
| Very good | 27% | 30% | 30% | 28% | 30% | 32% | 32% | 28% | 26% | 23% |
| TOTAL: Poor | 12% | 11% | 12% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 13% | 14% | 13% | 15% |
| TOTAL: Good | 71% | 72% | 70% | 68% | 73% | 73% | 71% | 66% | 70% | 65% |
| Base (n) | 1,079 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,059 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,067 | 1,093 | 1,054 | 1,051 |
| Gender | Age Group | Location | ||||||
| Total | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Capital | Non-Capital | |
| Very poor | 4% | 6% | 2% | 5% | 5% | 2% | 4% | 4% |
| Quite poor | 8% | 9% | 8% | 12% | 7% | 6% | 9% | 7% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 17% | 18% | 16% | 23% | 21% | 8% | 16% | 19% |
| Quite good | 43% | 39% | 47% | 44% | 43% | 43% | 43% | 43% |
| Very good | 27% | 28% | 27% | 17% | 24% | 40% | 28% | 27% |
| TOTAL: Poor | 12% | 14% | 10% | 17% | 12% | 9% | 13% | 11% |
| TOTAL: Good | 71% | 67% | 74% | 61% | 67% | 83% | 71% | 70% |
| Base (n) | 1,079 | 525 | 554 | 332 | 362 | 385 | 728 | 351 |
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Read Essential's ongoing research on the public response to Covid-19.
Download this week's ReportEssential Report
Two Party Preferred: 14 May 2019
Labor
51.5%-0.5
Coalition
48.5%+0.5
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