Essential Report
Federal government response to Covid-19
Q. Overall, how would you rate the federal government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| 30/08 | 16/08 | 02/08 | 19/07 | 05/07 | 07/06 | 24/05 | 12/04 | 15/03 | 01/03 | 15/02 | 01/02 | 30/11 | |
| Very poor | 16% | 13% | 16% | 13% | 12% | 10% | 6% | 7% | 5% | 6% | 5% | 4% | 6% |
| Quite poor | 20% | 22% | 19% | 19% | 17% | 14% | 12% | 10% | 7% | 8% | 7% | 11% | 8% |
| Neither good nor poor | 24% | 24% | 28% | 23% | 26% | 22% | 25% | 21% | 18% | 24% | 19% | 19% | 19% |
| Quite good | 29% | 32% | 28% | 32% | 33% | 38% | 40% | 40% | 39% | 39% | 42% | 42% | 41% |
| Very good | 10% | 9% | 10% | 14% | 11% | 15% | 18% | 22% | 31% | 23% | 27% | 25% | 26% |
| TOTAL: Poor | 36% | 35% | 35% | 31% | 30% | 24% | 18% | 17% | 12% | 14% | 12% | 14% | 13% |
| TOTAL: Good | 39% | 41% | 38% | 46% | 44% | 53% | 58% | 62% | 70% | 62% | 69% | 67% | 67% |
| Base (n) | 1,100 | 1,100 | 1,098 | 1,100 | 1,099 | 1,104 | 1,100 | 1,368 | 1,124 | 1,074 | 1,109 | 1,092 | 1,034 |
| TOTAL: Good | 30/08 | 16/08 | 02/08 | 19/07 | 05/07 | 07/06 | 24/05 | 12/04 | 15/03 | 01/03 |
| NSW | 34% | 34% | 39% | 49% | 44% | 62% | 56% | 66% | 69% | 64% |
| VIC | 35% | 37% | 33% | 39% | 40% | 42% | 57% | 55% | 65% | 51% |
| QLD | 45% | 44% | 40% | 46% | 48% | 54% | 56% | 63% | 69% | 66% |
| SA | 48% | 45% | 48% | 51% | 48% | 58% | 66% | 62% | 78% | 68% |
| WA | 51% | 53% | 37% | 51% | 42% | 49% | 56% | 65% | 75% | 66% |
- 39% of people rate the federal government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak as quite good or very good (41% earlier in the month), with 36% rating it as quite poor or very poor.
- Positive rating of the federal government’s handling of Covid-19 is unchanged from earlier this month among those in NSW (34%, still the lowest recorded rating in NSW).
State government response to Covid-19
Q. How would you rate your state government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| TOTAL: Good | 30/08 | 16/08 | 02/08 | 19/07 | 05/07 | 07/06 | 24/05 | 12/04 | 15/03 | 01/03 | 15/02 | 01/02 | 30/11 |
| NSW | 40% | 42% | 47% | 54% | 57% | 69% | 68% | 73% | 75% | 72% | 72% | 71% | 76% |
| VIC | 44% | 56% | 54% | 49% | 50% | 48% | 63% | 58% | 62% | 49% | 59% | 61% | 60% |
| QLD | 67% | 66% | 60% | 62% | 61% | 65% | 68% | 72% | 75% | 73% | 76% | 78% | 72% |
| SA | 76% | 68% | 73% | 68% | 67% | 67% | 71% | 75% | 85% | 78% | 79% | 80% | 70% |
| WA | 78% | 87% | 82% | 77% | 86% | 75% | 77% | 84% | 91% | 85% | 88% | 80% | 83% |
- Amid the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak and lockdown in NSW, positive rating of the state government’s response to Covid-19 continues to drop, now at 40% from 47% earlier this month.
- Positive rating of the state government in Victoria has dropped by 12 percentage points to 44%, from 56% mid-August.
- Although it remains the highest of all states, positive rating of the WA government’s handling of Covid-19 has decreased 9 percentage points to 78% from 87% mid-August.
- Positive rating of the SA government has increased by 8% in the past two weeks to 76%, the best rating since March.
Biggest barrier to the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in Australia
Q. Which of the following do you think is currently the biggest barrier to the Covid-19 vaccine rollout in Australia?
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | TOTAL: Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||
| Unwillingness among people who are eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine to get vaccinated | 48% | 50% | 47% | 43% | 44% | 57% | 41% | 60% | 30% | 52% |
| A shortage of supply of Covid-19 vaccines for people who are eligible and willing to get vaccinated | 52% | 50% | 53% | 57% | 56% | 43% | 59% | 40% | 70% | 48% |
| Base (n) | 1,100 | 539 | 561 | 341 | 374 | 385 | 388 | 405 | 90 | 119 |
- The general population is split on the biggest barrier to the national Covid-19 vaccine rollout; Just over half (52%) think the biggest barrier is a shortage of supply of Covid-19 vaccines for people who are eligible and willing to get vaccinated, while just under half (48%) think it’s an unwillingness among people who are eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine to get vaccinated.
- Those aged over 55 are more likely than younger cohorts to think the biggest barrier is related to an unwillingness to get vaccinated among those who can (57% to 44% of those aged 35-54, and 43% of those aged 18-34).
- Coalition voters are also more likely than other voters to think unwillingness is the main issue (60% to 41% Labor voters, 30% Greens voters and 52% minor/independent party voters).
- There is no difference in views across states.
Views towards level of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions
Q. Thinking about the latest Covid-19 lockdown in your area, do you think the restrictions are…?
[Asked only to respondents with lockdown restrictions in their area]
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | TOTAL: Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||
| Too strong | 27% | 30% | 24% | 24% | 28% | 30% | 21% | 32% | 26% | 43% |
| About right | 61% | 58% | 65% | 63% | 60% | 61% | 67% | 60% | 66% | 43% |
| Too weak | 11% | 11% | 12% | 13% | 13% | 9% | 12% | 8% | 8% | 14% |
| Base (n) | 925 | 465 | 460 | 308 | 324 | 293 | 324 | 344 | 80 | 97 |
| State | |||||
| NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | |
| Too strong | 28% | 35% | 20% | 12% | 30% |
| About right | 56% | 57% | 70% | 70% | 70% |
| Too weak | 16% | 8% | 11% | 18% | 0% |
| Base (n) | 345 | 275 | 156 | 58 | 51 |
- 61% of people under lockdown restrictions think the lockdown restrictions in their area are about right. 27% think they’re too strong and 11% too weak.
- Victorians are most likely to think their restrictions are too strong (35%). In comparison, 28% of NSW residents think their restrictions are too strong. Those in NSW are more likely than Victorians to think the restrictions there are too weak (16% to 8% respectively).
Clarity of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions
Q. How clear and easy to understand are the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions/rules affecting the area you live in?
[Asked only to respondents with lockdown restrictions in their area]
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | TOTAL: Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||
| Very clear and easy to understand | 40% | 42% | 39% | 32% | 45% | 44% | 43% | 44% | 36% | 27% |
| Fairly clear and easy to understand | 42% | 40% | 45% | 54% | 36% | 37% | 42% | 42% | 46% | 37% |
| Not that clear and easy to understand | 12% | 11% | 13% | 10% | 12% | 14% | 11% | 10% | 15% | 22% |
| Not at all clear and easy to understand | 5% | 7% | 4% | 4% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 14% |
| Base (n) | 925 | 465 | 460 | 308 | 324 | 293 | 324 | 344 | 80 | 97 |
| State | |||||
| NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | |
| Very clear and easy to understand | 29% | 50% | 44% | 46% | 50% |
| Fairly clear and easy to understand | 44% | 36% | 48% | 37% | 45% |
| Not that clear and easy to understand | 19% | 10% | 7% | 10% | 4% |
| Not at all clear and easy to understand | 8% | 4% | 2% | 7% | 1% |
| Base (n) | 345 | 275 | 156 | 58 | 51 |
- Most people understand the Covid-19 restrictions in their area, with 40% saying they are very clear and easy to understand, and 42% saying they are fairly clear and easy to understand.
- Restrictions in NSW are less clear than in Victoria. Just 29% in NSW say the restrictions are very clear and easy to understand (50% in Victoria).
Information about Covid-19
Q. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the information you’ve received about the Covid-19 pandemic in Australia?
| TOTAL: Agree | Aug’21
30/08/21 |
Aug’20
10/08/20 |
April’20
20/04/20 |
April’20
13/04/20 |
April’20
06/04/20 |
March’20
29/03/20 |
March’20
22/03/20 |
| I feel informed about the situation and the impact on me and my family | 69% | 69% | 66% | 71% | 70% | 63% | 64% |
| I trust the medical experts advising the government on their Covid-19 strategy | 68% | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| I trust my state/territory government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 63% | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| I trust the federal government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 52% | 66% | 62% | 65% | 63% | 56% | 56% |
| I trust the media to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 40% | 50% | 41% | 42% | 51% | 42% | 35% |
- Since the start of the pandemic, people are just as likely to agree they feel informed about the situation.
- However, agreement that people trust the federal government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic has decreased from 66% in August 2020 to 52%.
- Agreement that people trust the media to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic has also decreased in the past 12 months from 50% in August 2020 to 40%.
| TOTAL: Agree | TOTAL: Disagree | Strongly agree | Somewhat agree | Neither disagree nor agree | Somewhat disagree | Strongly disagree | |
| I feel informed about the situation and the impact on me and my family | 69% | 13% | 23% | 45% | 19% | 8% | 5% |
| I trust the medical experts advising the government on their Covid-19 strategy | 68% | 12% | 33% | 36% | 19% | 7% | 5% |
| I trust my state/territory government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 63% | 19% | 23% | 39% | 18% | 10% | 10% |
| I trust the federal government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 52% | 26% | 18% | 34% | 23% | 14% | 11% |
| I trust the media to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 40% | 33% | 11% | 30% | 27% | 18% | 15% |
- 69% agree they feel informed about the current Covid-19 situation. Agreement is highest among those aged over 55 (77%) and Coalition voters (75%).
- 68% of people agree that they trust the medical experts advising the government on their Covid-19 strategy, while 52% agree that they trust the federal government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Less than half (40%) of people trust the media to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic.
| TOTAL: Agree | Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | ||||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | TOTAL: Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||||
| I feel informed about the situation and the impact on me and my family | 69% | 69% | 68% | 58% | 69% | 77% | 72% | 75% | 71% | 48% | ||
| I trust the medical experts advising the government on their Covid-19 strategy | 68% | 69% | 68% | 57% | 69% | 78% | 70% | 77% | 65% | 50% | ||
| I trust my state/territory government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 63% | 62% | 63% | 60% | 61% | 68% | 67% | 69% | 62% | 43% | ||
| I trust the federal government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 52% | 53% | 51% | 44% | 54% | 56% | 42% | 75% | 37% | 36% | ||
| I trust the media to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 40% | 43% | 37% | 38% | 42% | 40% | 42% | 47% | 36% | 30% | ||
| Base (n) | 1,100 | 539 | 561 | 341 | 374 | 385 | 388 | 405 | 90 | 119 | ||
| TOTAL: Agree | State | ||||
| NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | |
| I feel informed about the situation and the impact on me and my family | 66% | 66% | 66% | 72% | 78% |
| I trust the medical experts advising the government on their Covid-19 strategy | 70% | 59% | 69% | 74% | 75% |
| I trust my state/territory government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 55% | 54% | 69% | 75% | 80% |
| I trust the federal government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 49% | 46% | 53% | 62% | 63% |
| I trust the media to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic | 42% | 32% | 39% | 49% | 52% |
| Base (n) | 349 | 276 | 219 | 89 | 111 |
- Those aged over 55 are more likely than those aged 18-34 to agree they feel informed and have trust in governments.
- Trust in state governments is lowest in NSW (55%) and Victoria (54%).
- Victorians are also less likely than others to trust medical experts and the media for Covid-19 information.
Views towards ‘living with’ Covid-19: Preference for elimination vs suppression strategies
Q. Thinking about Australia’s path out of the Covid-19 pandemic, which of the following strategies do you think Australia should pursue?
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | TOTAL: Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||
| Get Covid-19 cases down as close to zero as possible | 44% | 42% | 46% | 53% | 44% | 36% | 52% | 37% | 53% | 31% |
| Live with a few cases of Covid-19, as long as there are very few hospitalisations and deaths | 44% | 43% | 45% | 39% | 45% | 47% | 41% | 48% | 38% | 41% |
| Live with Covid-19, even if there are hospitalisations and deaths | 12% | 15% | 9% | 8% | 11% | 17% | 7% | 15% | 10% | 28% |
| Base (n) | 1,100 | 539 | 561 | 341 | 374 | 385 | 388 | 405 | 90 | 119 |
| State | |||||
| NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | |
| Get Covid-19 cases down as close to zero as possible | 38% | 37% | 50% | 51% | 59% |
| Live with a few cases of Covid-19, as long as there are very few hospitalisations and deaths | 50% | 46% | 39% | 41% | 35% |
| Live with Covid-19, even if there are hospitalisations and deaths | 11% | 18% | 11% | 8% | 6% |
| Base (n) | 349 | 276 | 219 | 89 | 111 |
- 44% of people prefer a strategy to get Covid-19 cases down as close to zero as possible. The same proportion think we need to live with a few cases of Covid-19, as long as there are very few hospitalisations and deaths (44%).
- 12% are willing to live with Covid-19, even if there are hospitalisations and deaths. Those most likely to have this position include men (15%), those aged over 55 (17%), and minor/independent party voters (28%).
- Victorians are more likely than residents in other states to want to live with Covid-19, even if there are hospitalisations and deaths (18%).
Number of Covid-19 deaths acceptable to ‘live with’
Q. How many deaths nationally from Covid-19 do you think is acceptable to ‘live with’ in Australia as lockdown restrictions are removed?
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | |||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | TOTAL: Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | ||
| Less than 100 deaths per year | 61% | 52% | 70% | 55% | 63% | 65% | 68% | 56% | 53% | 53% |
| Between 100 and 1,000 deaths per year | 25% | 27% | 22% | 25% | 22% | 26% | 21% | 30% | 29% | 17% |
| Between 1,000 and 3,000 deaths per year | 10% | 13% | 7% | 13% | 9% | 8% | 7% | 9% | 15% | 23% |
| Between 3,000 and 5,000 deaths per year | 2% | 3% | 1% | 3% | 2% | 0% | 1% | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| More than 5,000 deaths per year | 3% | 5% | 1% | 3% | 4% | 1% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 4% |
| Base (n) | 1,100 | 539 | 561 | 341 | 374 | 385 | 388 | 405 | 90 | 119 |
| State | |||||
| NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | |
| Less than 100 deaths per year | 63% | 56% | 62% | 66% | 61% |
| Between 100 and 1,000 deaths per year | 26% | 29% | 19% | 22% | 24% |
| Between 1,000 and 3,000 deaths per year | 8% | 10% | 12% | 11% | 8% |
| Between 3,000 and 5,000 deaths per year | 1% | 2% | 3% | 0% | 3% |
| More than 5,000 deaths per year | 2% | 2% | 4% | 1% | 4% |
| Base (n) | 349 | 276 | 219 | 89 | 111 |
- 61% of people say an ‘acceptable’ number of Covid-19 deaths is less than 100 per year. 25% say between 100 and 1,000 deaths would be ‘acceptable’. Only a small percentage think over 1000 deaths would be acceptable, with 10% saying 1,000 to 3,000, 2% between 3,000 and 5,000, and 3% saying more than 5,000 deaths per year.
| Get Covid-19 cases down as close to zero as possible | Live with a few cases of Covid-19, as long as there are very few hospitalisations and deaths | Live with Covid-19, even if there are hospitalisations and deaths | |
| Less than 100 deaths per year | 78% | 55% | 22% |
| Between 100 and 1,000 deaths per year | 13% | 33% | 35% |
| Between 1,000 and 3,000 deaths per year | 5% | 10% | 28% |
| Between 3,000 and 5,000 deaths per year | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| More than 5,000 deaths per year | 2% | 1% | 12% |
| Base (n) | 482 | 488 | 130 |
- Among those who said Australia should live with Covid-19, even if there are hospitalisations and deaths, 22% would accept up to 100 deaths per year, 35% would accept between 100 and 1,000 deaths, and 28% would accept 1,000 to 3,000.
- Among those who think we should live with Covid-19 as long as there are only a few cases of hospitalisations and deaths, 55% think this would mean less than 100 deaths per year, and 33% between 100 and 1,000 deaths.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Read Essential's ongoing research on the public response to Covid-19.
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