"These lockdown blues are impacting on people's reflections on their own lives," co-author Professor Matthew Gray said. It is well below the peak in confidence during the pandemic of 60.6 percent recorded in May 2020. In April 2021, 45.4 percent said they had a great deal, or quite a lot of confidence in the Federal Government in Canberra, which dropped to 40.6 percent of Australians by April. There was also a large decline in confidence in state and territory governments nationally, from 67.2 percent who expressed confidence in April 2021 to 62.1 percent in August 2021. They are also less confident in the federal, state and territory governments." "Australians are less satisfied with the direction of the country than at any time during the pandemic. "Australians think that given the successes of the country early in the pandemic the situation should be far better than it currently is," Professor Biddle said. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations also reported a significant rise in worry about infection. The study shows Australian's fears about getting infected almost tripled-from 10.7 percent in April to 30.8 percent in August. "We've seen a big rise in worry and anxiety due to COVID-19 from 49.8 percent in April-the lowest during the pandemic-to 60.9 percent in August 2021." "A key measure of the general experience of the COVID-19 period is people's level of anxiety and worry due to the virus," Professor Biddle said. NSW's worries grew from 50.7 percent to 67.9 percent over the same period.
There was an increase in anxiety and worry for those who lived outside of NSW which rose from 48.5 percent in April 2021 to 56.0 percent in August. "NSW in general and Sydney in particular has experienced the worst of the change, but many other parts of the country have also been impacted."
"The dramatic changes in the past four months have led to declines in life satisfaction, worsening in psychological distress and an increase in loneliness across Australia," co-author of the study ANU Professor Nicholas Biddle said. The survey was conducted while about half of Australia, some 13 million people, experienced lockdown restrictions.
In a survey of more than 3000 people in Australia, roughly half said they were more stressed and more than a quarter said their relationship had got more difficult or strained this year compared to 2020.
0 kommentar(er)
