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 | 29/03 | 22/03 |
| I feel informed about the situation and the impact on me and my family | 63% | 64% |
| I trust the Government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 outbreak | 56% | 56% |
| The information I’ve received has been clear and consistent | 47% | 51% |
| I trust the media to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 outbreak | 42% | 35% |
| Base (n) | 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 | 63% | 17% | 6% | 11% | 20% | 44% | 19% |
| I trust the Government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 outbreak | 56% | 22% | 8% | 14% | 23% | 37% | 19% |
| The information I’ve received has been clear and consistent | 47% | 30% | 10% | 20% | 23% | 32% | 15% |
| I trust the media to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 outbreak | 42% | 33% | 14% | 19% | 26% | 32% | 10% |
Government response to Covid-19
Q. Overall, how would you rate the Government’s response to the Covid-19 outbreak?
| Gender | Age Group | Location | |||||||
| Total | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Capital | Non-Capital | ||
| Very poor | 9% | 11% | 7% | 10% | 11% | 6% | 10% | 8% | |
| Quite poor | 20% | 19% | 21% | 28% | 20% | 14% | 23% | 15% | |
| Neither good, nor poor | 26% | 26% | 26% | 30% | 31% | 18% | 25% | 27% | |
| Quite good | 33% | 32% | 34% | 25% | 28% | 44% | 31% | 36% | |
| Very good | 12% | 11% | 12% | 7% | 10% | 17% | 11% | 13% | |
| NET: Poor | 29% | 30% | 29% | 38% | 31% | 20% | 32% | 24% | |
| NET: Good | 45% | 44% | 46% | 33% | 38% | 62% | 43% | 49% | |
| Base (n) | 1,034 | 519 | 515 | 342 | 365 | 324 | 703 | 331 | |
- 45% of people rate the performance of the government to the threat has been quite or very good. Those aged over 55 are more likely to rate the performance as good (62%).
- Those aged 18-34 were most likely to rate the performance as poor (very/quite poor, 38%).
- Those who think the threat of Covid-19 has been under-estimated have a low rating of government performance (46% very/quite poor).
Trust in professions
Q. In general, how much trust do you have in the following professions?
|
Total a lot /some trust |
A lot of trust |
Some trust |
A little trust |
No trust |
Don’t know |
|||
|
Doctors |
81% |
39% |
42% |
14% |
2% |
4% |
||
|
Engineers |
68% |
23% |
45% |
20% |
3% |
10% |
||
|
Accountants |
49% |
8% |
41% |
34% |
9% |
8% |
||
|
Lawyers |
34% |
5% |
29% |
37% |
21% |
8% |
||
|
Bankers |
29% |
2% |
27% |
41% |
25% |
6% |
||
|
Journalists |
27% |
2% |
25% |
41% |
26% |
6% |
||
|
Real estate agents |
12% |
1% |
11% |
38% |
44% |
7% |
||
|
Politicians |
11% |
1% |
10% |
33% |
49% |
6% |
||
From a list of eight professions, a majority of respondents had trust in doctors (81%) and engineers (68%). About half (49%) had trust in accountants – who were considered more trustworthy that lawyers (34%) or bankers (29%).
Politicians (11%) and real estate agents (12%) were the least trusted.
Trust in financial planners
Q. How much trust do you have in financial planners to give you independent and appropriate advice?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote Other |
|
Received financial advice |
|
| Total lot/some trust |
37% |
38% |
41% |
34% |
25% |
63% |
||
| Total little/no trust |
49% |
44% |
50% |
51% |
67% |
35% |
||
| A lot of trust |
8% |
6% |
14% |
1% |
3% |
19% |
||
| Some trust |
29% |
32% |
27% |
33% |
22% |
44% |
||
| Little trust |
29% |
24% |
31% |
38% |
34% |
24% |
||
| No trust at all |
20% |
20% |
19% |
13% |
33% |
11% |
||
| Don’t know |
15% |
18% |
10% |
15% |
8% |
2% |
37% say they have a lot or some trust in financial planners to give independent and appropriate advice and 49% have little or no trust.
Of those who have received financial advice or used a planner, 63% have a lot/some trust and 35% have little/no trust in financial planners.
For those on higher incomes (over $1,600pw), 40% have a lot/some trust and 51% little/no trust.
Trust in use of personal information
Q. How much trust do you have in the following organisations to responsibly use any personal information they may have about you?
|
Total trust |
|
A lot of trust |
Some trust |
A little trust |
No trust |
Don’t know |
Not applic-able to me |
% change |
|
Total trust 24 Sep 13 |
|
| The medical profession |
67% |
32% |
35% |
22% |
8% |
2% |
* |
-6 |
73% |
||
| Law enforcement agencies |
54% |
19% |
35% |
28% |
14% |
3% |
1% |
-2 |
56% |
||
| Your employer |
44% |
18% |
26% |
21% |
9% |
3% |
22% |
-2 |
46% |
||
| Banks |
44% |
11% |
33% |
31% |
21% |
3% |
* |
-1 |
45% |
||
| Companies you buy things from in person |
38% |
4% |
34% |
40% |
16% |
5% |
* |
-6 |
44% |
||
| The Government |
31% |
5% |
26% |
32% |
31% |
5% |
1% |
– |
31% |
||
| Companies you buy things from online |
30% |
4% |
26% |
39% |
25% |
4% |
2% |
+3 |
27% |
||
| Insurance companies |
27% |
4% |
23% |
37% |
31% |
4% |
1% |
+1 |
26% |
||
| Mobile phone and internet providers |
23% |
3% |
20% |
41% |
31% |
4% |
1% |
-6 |
29% |
||
| TV networks |
19% |
2% |
17% |
38% |
34% |
6% |
2% |
-1 |
20% |
||
| Social media sites |
12% |
1% |
11% |
29% |
50% |
5% |
3% |
– |
12% |
The most trusted people/organisations to use personal information were the medical profession (67% trust), law enforcement agencies (54%), employers (44%) and banks (44%). The least trusted were social media sites (12%) and TV networks (19%).
Since this question was asked in September last year, the main changes have been declines of 6% for the medical profession, companies you buy things from in person and mobile phone and internet providers.
Trust in institutions
Q. How much trust do you have in the following institutions and organisations?
|
Total |
Total |
Total trust |
Total trust |
A lot of trust |
Some trust |
A little trust |
No trust |
Don’t know |
% change |
|
| The High Court |
72% |
60% |
63% |
74% |
34% |
40% |
13% |
6% |
8% |
+11 |
| The ABC |
46% |
54% |
59% |
70% |
22% |
48% |
17% |
6% |
7% |
+11 |
| The Reserve Bank |
67% |
49% |
53% |
64% |
21% |
43% |
21% |
8% |
7% |
+11 |
| Charitable organisations |
61% |
50% |
53% |
52% |
9% |
43% |
33% |
9% |
6% |
-1 |
| Environment groups |
45% |
32% |
36% |
41% |
6% |
35% |
33% |
20% |
7% |
+5 |
| The Commonwealth Public Service |
49%* |
30% |
33% |
36% |
4% |
32% |
37% |
17% |
9% |
+3 |
| Federal Parliament |
55% |
22% |
26% |
34% |
4% |
30% |
31% |
29% |
6% |
+8 |
| Your local council |
na |
na |
32% |
34% |
3% |
31% |
39% |
22% |
6% |
+2 |
| TV news media |
na |
21% |
26% |
30% |
4% |
26% |
46% |
20% |
4% |
+4 |
| State Parliament |
na |
na |
25% |
30% |
4% |
26% |
32% |
31% |
6% |
+5 |
| Newspapers |
na |
26% |
31% |
30% |
3% |
27% |
43% |
22% |
5% |
-1 |
| Religious organisations |
29% |
27% |
31% |
27% |
5% |
22% |
29% |
37% |
7% |
-4 |
| Online news media |
na |
23% |
28% |
27% |
3% |
24% |
48% |
20% |
6% |
-1 |
| Business groups |
38% |
22% |
25% |
26% |
3% |
23% |
42% |
23% |
9% |
+1 |
| Trade unions |
39% |
22% |
23% |
25% |
4% |
21% |
31% |
36% |
7% |
+2 |
| Political parties |
na |
12% |
16% |
12% |
1% |
11% |
36% |
45% |
6% |
-4 |
Note: ‘Total Trust’ is an aggregate figure achieved by adding ‘A lot of trust’ and ‘Some trust’. * This Commonwealth Public Service figure is from a question asked in 6 Feb 12.
Since this question was last asked in October, there has been a significant increase in trust in the High Court (+11%), the ABC (+11%), the Reserve Bank (+11%) and the Federal Parliament (+8). Trust in the High Court and Reserve Bank is back to similar levels to that recorded in 2011.
Respondents had most trust in the High Court (74%), the ABC (70%), the Reserve Bank (64%) and charitable organisations (52%). They had least trust in political parties (12%), trade unions (25%), business groups (26%), online news media (27%) and religious organisations (27%).
Compared to the average, Labor voters had more trust in the ABC (77%), environment groups (50%), the Commonwealth Public Service (44%), local councils (42%), Federal Parliament (43%) and trade unions (41%).
Liberal/National voters, compared to the average, had a little more trust in religious organisations (31%) and TV news media (35%).
Trust in organisations and institutions
Q. How much trust do you have in the following institutions and organisations?
|
Total trust 26 Sep 11 |
Total trust 12 Jun 12 |
Total trust 22 Oct 12 |
A lot of trust |
Some trust |
A little trust |
No trust |
Don’t know |
% change |
|
| The High Court |
72% |
60% |
63% |
26% |
37% |
21% |
10% |
6% |
+3 |
| The ABC |
46% |
54% |
59% |
20% |
39% |
26% |
8% |
6% |
+5 |
| The Reserve Bank |
67% |
49% |
53% |
16% |
37% |
28% |
12% |
8% |
+4 |
| Charitable organisations |
61% |
50% |
53% |
9% |
44% |
33% |
10% |
5% |
+3 |
| Environment groups |
45% |
32% |
36% |
8% |
28% |
35% |
24% |
6% |
+4 |
| The Commonwealth Public Service |
49%* |
30% |
33% |
6% |
27% |
41% |
16% |
10% |
+3 |
| Your local council |
na |
na |
32% |
4% |
28% |
39% |
22% |
6% |
na |
| Religious organisations |
29% |
27% |
31% |
7% |
24% |
28% |
35% |
6% |
+4 |
| Newspapers |
na |
26% |
31% |
4% |
27% |
45% |
20% |
4% |
+5 |
| Online news media |
na |
23% |
28% |
4% |
24% |
45% |
20% |
6% |
+5 |
| TV news media |
na |
21% |
26% |
5% |
21% |
44% |
26% |
4% |
+5 |
| Federal Parliament |
55% |
22% |
26% |
4% |
22% |
37% |
32% |
5% |
+4 |
| State Parliament |
na |
na |
25% |
4% |
21% |
37% |
33% |
5% |
na |
| Business groups |
38% |
22% |
25% |
3% |
22% |
45% |
21% |
9% |
+3 |
| Trade unions |
39% |
22% |
23% |
5% |
18% |
32% |
36% |
9% |
+1 |
| Political parties |
na |
12% |
16% |
2% |
14% |
36% |
42% |
6% |
+4 |
Note: ‘Total Trust’ is an aggregate figure achieved by adding ‘A lot of trust’ and ‘Some trust’.
* This Commonwealth Public Service figure is from a question asked in 6 Feb 12.
Overall, there have been small increases in trust across all organisations since this question was last asked in June. However, there has been no significant change in the rankings.
Respondents had most trust in the High Court (63%), the ABC (59%), charitable organisations (53%) and the Reserve Bank (53%). They had least trust in political parties (16%), trade unions (23%), business groups (25%) State Parliaments (25%), Federal Parliament (26%) and TV news media (26%).
Compared to the average, Labor voters had more trust in Federal Parliament (40%), the High Court (67%), the ABC (68%), the Reserve Bank (61%), the Commonwealth Public Service (42%), trade unions (41%), environment groups (48%) and local councils (39%).
Liberal/National voters, compared to the average, had more trust in religious organisations (37%) and business groups (32%) but less trust in Federal Parliament (21%), Commonwealth Public Service (28%), trade unions (14%) and environment groups (27%).
Party trust to handle important election issues
Q. Which party would you trust most to handle the following issues?
|
Labor |
Liberal |
Greens |
Don’t know |
Difference 18 Jun 12 |
Difference 5 Dec 11 |
|
| Management of the economy |
26% |
44% |
3% |
27% |
-18 |
-18 |
| Ensuring a quality education for all children |
33% |
35% |
5% |
26% |
-2 |
-2 |
| Ensuring the quality of Australia’s health system |
30% |
36% |
7% |
27% |
-6 |
-3 |
| Protecting the environment |
17% |
21% |
38% |
24% |
+17 |
+14 |
| A fair industrial relations system |
36% |
30% |
6% |
28% |
+6 |
+4 |
| Political leadership |
21% |
37% |
7% |
36% |
-16 |
-17 |
| Addressing climate change |
18% |
24% |
31% |
27% |
+7 |
+6 |
| Controlling interest rates |
22% |
40% |
3% |
35% |
-18 |
-18 |
| Protecting Australian jobs and protection of local industries |
29% |
35% |
6% |
31% |
-6 |
-3 |
| Ensuring a quality water supply |
16% |
28% |
23% |
33% |
-12 |
-12 |
| Housing affordability |
22% |
33% |
5% |
39% |
-11 |
-10 |
| Ensuring a fair taxation system |
26% |
36% |
5% |
32% |
-10 |
-9 |
| Security and the war on terrorism |
18% |
40% |
4% |
38% |
-22 |
-19 |
| Treatment of asylum seekers |
16% |
36% |
13% |
36% |
-20 |
-19 |
| Managing population growth |
17% |
36% |
7% |
40% |
-19 |
-17 |
Note – Differences are calculated by subtracting Liberal % from Labor % – except for the two issues on which the Greens lead in which case it is Greens minus Liberal.
Labor does not have a substantial lead over the Liberal Party on any item measured. The Liberal Party has maintained strong leads on management of the economy, controlling interest rates, political leadership and security and the war on terrorism.
There is little difference between Labor and the Liberals for ensuring a quality education for all children, ensuring the quality of Australia’s health systerm and protecting Australian jobs and protection of local industries. Overall, there has been very little change in these results since December.
COVID-19 RESEARCH
Read Essential's ongoing research on the public response to Covid-19.
Essential Report
In this week's report:
- Federal government response to Covid-19
- State government response to Covid-19
- Views towards reopening international borders
- Views towards state border closures
- Comprehension and confidence in PM’s plan to ‘safely reopen’ Australia
- Uptake of a Covid-19 vaccine
- Necessity of mandatory vaccinations in specific situations
- Views towards easing restrictions for fully vaccinated people
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