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Coronavirus concerns
Q. To what extent are you concerned about the threat of Covid-19 (coronavirus) in Australia?
| 10/08 | 27/07 | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 | |
| Very concerned | 50% | 43% | 36% | 25% | 28% | 27% | 32% | 30% | 33% | 34% | 32% |
| Quite concerned | 40% | 44% | 48% | 50% | 45% | 48% | 49% | 49% | 47% | 49% | 46% |
| Not that concerned | 7% | 9% | 12% | 21% | 23% | 21% | 15% | 16% | 16% | 14% | 18% |
| Not at all concerned | 3% | 4% | 3% | 4% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 3% | 4% |
| Base (n) | 1,010 | 1,058 | 1,054 | 1,079 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,059 | 1,087 | 1,073 | 1,067 | 1,093 |
- Concern about Covid-19 has further increased with 50% of Australians ‘very concerned’, up from 43% last month.
- Concern is higher among capital city residents (92%) compared to non-capital city residents (84%), and lower among those likely to vote for an independent or other party at an election (81%) than all other voters (91%).
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 outbreak?
| NET: Agree | 10/08 | 20/04 | 13/04 | 06/04 | 29/03 | 22/03 |
| I feel informed about the situation and the impact on me and my family | 69% | 66% | 71% | 70% | 63% | 64% |
| I trust the Government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 outbreak | 66% | 62% | 65% | 63% | 56% | 56% |
| The information I’ve received has been clear and consistent | 62% | 55% | 58% | 52% | 47% | 51% |
| I trust the media to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 outbreak | 50% | 41% | 42% | 51% | 42% | 35% |
| Base (n) | 1,010 | 1,051 | 1,068 | 1,069 | 1,086 | 1,034 |
| NET: Agree | NET: Disagree | Strongly agree | Somewhat agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Somewhat disagree | Strongly disagree | |
| I feel informed about the situation and the impact on me and my family | 69% | 10% | 29% | 40% | 21% | 6% | 4% |
| I trust the Government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 outbreak | 66% | 14% | 28% | 38% | 20% | 8% | 8% |
| The information I’ve received has been clear and consistent | 62% | 16% | 22% | 40% | 22% | 11% | 5% |
| I trust the media to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 outbreak | 50% | 23% | 15% | 35% | 27% | 14% | 8% |
- Agreement with these statements has increased since April, with the greatest increase in trust in the media (was 41% now 50%).
- Broadly, participants over 55 are more likely to agree with these statements than those aged 18-34 years old.
- Men are more likely than women to disagree that they trust the Government to provide honest and objective information (18% compared to 10% disagree).
Uptake of Covid-19 vaccine
Q. If and when a vaccine for Covid-19 becomes available, how long would you wait before taking it?
| Gender | Age group | |||||
| Total | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | |
| I’d get vaccinated as soon as possible | 56% | 60% | 53% | 50% | 54% | 64% |
| I’d get vaccinated, but wouldn’t do it straight away | 35% | 33% | 37% | 38% | 37% | 30% |
| I’d never get vaccinated | 8% | 7% | 10% | 11% | 9% | 6% |
| Base (n) | 1,010 | 505 | 505 | 302 | 331 | 377 |
| Federal Voting Intention | ||||
| Labor | Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | |
| I’d get vaccinated as soon as possible | 66% | 57% | 43% | 44% |
| I’d get vaccinated, but wouldn’t do it straight away | 29% | 36% | 45% | 34% |
| I’d never get vaccinated | 5% | 7% | 10% | 21% |
| Base (n) | 311 | 413 | 78 | 94 |
Truth in statements about Covid-19
Q. How confident are you that the following statements about Covid-19 are true?
| TOTAL: True | TOTAL: Not true | Definitely true | Probably true | Probably not true | Definitely not true | Unsure | |
| It’s possible for people to have the virus and be contagious even if they don’t feel sick in any way | 81% | 12% | 54% | 27% | 9% | 3% | 7% |
| Masks trap the carbon dioxide people exhale close to their faces and make it harder to breathe in oxygen | 33% | 51% | 11% | 22% | 23% | 28% | 16% |
| It’s no more dangerous than a typical winter flu | 32% | 60% | 15% | 17% | 15% | 45% | 9% |
| You don’t need to wear a mask if you are physically distancing | 29% | 61% | 8% | 21% | 26% | 35% | 10% |
| The malaria drug, Hydroxychloroquine, has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment for Covid-19 | 20% | 55% | 7% | 13% | 21% | 33% | 26% |
VIC: State Government response to Covid-19
Q. How would you rate your state government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| VICTORIA ONLY | 10/08 | 27/07 | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 |
| Very poor | 16% | 13% | 14% | 8% | 6% | 6% | 4% | 3% | 3% | 4% | 3% |
| Quite poor | 14% | 17% | 12% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 7% | 9% | 10% | 11% | 8% |
| Neither good, nor poor | 21% | 17% | 25% | 22% | 13% | 16% | 17% | 16% | 15% | 15% | 17% |
| Quite good | 28% | 34% | 32% | 38% | 39% | 38% | 39% | 37% | 38% | 34% | 32% |
| Very good | 21% | 19% | 17% | 26% | 36% | 34% | 33% | 36% | 33% | 37% | 40% |
| TOTAL: Poor | 30% | 30% | 26% | 13% | 11% | 12% | 11% | 11% | 14% | 14% | 11% |
| TOTAL: Good | 49% | 53% | 49% | 65% | 75% | 72% | 71% | 73% | 71% | 71% | 72% |
| Base (n) | 499 | 239 | 281 | 261 | 275 | 275 | 275 | 275 | 267 | 275 | 275 |
| TOTAL: Good | 10/08 | 27/07 | 13/07 | 22/06 | 15/06 | 08/06 | 01/06 | 25/05 | 18/05 | 11/05 | 04/05 |
| NSW | 61% | 62% | 63% | 70% | 65% | 67% | 62% | 65% | 70% | 70% | 68% |
| VIC | 49% | 53% | 49% | 65% | 75% | 72% | 71% | 73% | 71% | 71% | 72% |
| QLD | 68% | 67% | 69% | 64% | 67% | 68% | 69% | 74% | 66% | 70% | 65% |
| SA | 72% | 76% | 79% | 79% | 76% | 79% | 70% | 84% | 80% | 78% | 76% |
| WA | 86% | 82% | 77% | 75% | 77% | 84% | 79% | 83% | 86% | 83% | 79% |
- Victorian’s rating of their State Government’s performance has decreased with only 49% of Victorians saying their Government’s performance has been good. This is on par with the results a month ago.
- Western Australia (86%) have the highest state government ratings for handling the crisis.
VIC: Covid-19 outbreak impact on favourability
Q. How has the Covid-19 outbreak affected your views of the following people…?
| VICTORIA ONLY | Daniel Andrews | Scott Morrison |
| Much more favourable | 24% | 25% |
| A little more favourable | 20% | 33% |
| No difference | 26% | 27% |
| A little less favourable | 10% | 7% |
| Much less favourable | 19% | 8% |
| TOTAL: More favourable | 44% | 58% |
| TOTAL: Less favourable | 29% | 15% |
| Base (n) | 499 | 499 |
- 58% of Victorians say they now have a more favourable opinion of Scott Morrison due to the Covid-19 outbreak, while 44% say the same for Daniel Andrews.
- Victorians over 55 years old and capital city residents are more likely to say their opinion of Scott Morrison has become more favourable (65% and 60% respectively) than 18-34 year olds and non-capital city residents (51% and 49%).
- Victorians over 55 years old are more likely to have a less favourable opinion of Daniel Andrews (40%) than 18-34 year olds (19%).
- Perception of the State Government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak is tied to perceptions of Daniel Andrews – those who say their state’s response is poor are more likely to say their opinion of Daniel Andrews is now less favourable, and vice versa.
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.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Read Essential's ongoing research on the public response to Covid-19.
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