Half of Australians under 30 now believe the extended lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne are worse than Covid itself.
Across all age groups, Australians want the border to be kept closed off to foreigners and are angry at returned travellers coming back from coronavirus hotspots, a CoreData Research survey for Daily Mail Australia found.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has hinted Sydney’s lockdown, which began on June 26, could be extended until September as new daily cases of the more contagious Indian Delta variant stubbornly remain in the triple-digit range.
Making matters worse, Australia is coming last among wealthier, OECD nations in the vaccine rollout with just 15 per cent of those aged 16 and over fully vaccinated.
Half of Australians under 30 (pictured are women at Bondi in Sydney) now believe the extended lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne are worse than Covid itself
This is well short of the 70 per cent level Prime Minister Scott Morrison said would be needed to ease lockdowns.
Australians are banned from travelling overseas for a holiday until at least mid-2022 and in Sydney, it’s illegal to have someone visit your home or exercise outside with more than one other person.
Why young Aussies hate lockdowns most
Those under 30 disapprove of lockdowns the most with about half, or 49.4 per cent of those surveyed, believing the social and economic consequences are worse than the health effects of Covid itself, the July online survey of 1,231 people found.
CoreData Research founder and chief executive Andrew Inwood, who is also a behavioural economist, said younger people were more likely to work in insecure, service jobs and particularly resented missing out on the social interactions that are an essential part of youth.
‘The ability to meet people is absolutely smashed,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘Loneliness is up substantially.’
Why Australians want to keep the border closed
On foreigners being banned, a majority of people across all age groups want Australia to keep the border shut to non-citizens and non-residents, continuing a policy put in place in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic.
Those in their fifties were the most intent on keeping Australia sealed off with 78.5 per cent in this age group backing a continued border closure beyond the mid-2022 date cited by the federal government, compared with 53 per cent of those in their thirties and 57.5 per cent of those under 30.
Across all age groups, Australians want the border to be kept closed off to foreigners and are angry at returned travellers coming back from coronavirus hotspots, a CoreData Research survey for Daily Mail Australia found (pictured are returned international travellers in Melbourne)
Mr Inwood said there was an element of fear as Australians reacted to a situation they saw as beyond their control, with the more contagious Delta strain from India sparking fear.
‘It’s kind of racism but it’s a proxy in their minds for security,’ he said.
‘We tend to ask for more restrictions, we tend to favour those things because it’s a proxy for trying to solve the problem and looking to create someone else who’s caused the problem.
‘It’s looking for a convenient scapegoat.’
What’s Aussies blame for the lockdowns
Across all age groups, the slow vaccination rollout was evoking the most anger with 31.6 per cent blaming it for the lockdowns.
Across all age groups, the slow vaccination rollout (pictured is Sydney nurse receiving a Pfizer jab) was evoking the most anger with 31.6 per cent blaming it for the lockdowns
On foreigners being banned, a majority of people across all age groups want Australia to keep the border shut to non-citizens and non-residents, continuing a policy put in place in March 2020 at the start of the pandemic
While many people had a rational view about the benefits of vaccines, a large proportion of people are hesitant about taking an AstraZeneca jab, despite the death rate standing at just one in 2.5million.
‘The only effective treatment for this is vaccination. There is no amount of locking down that is going to do things, it’s not a solution, it just pushes it further down the pipeline,’ Mr Inwood said.
‘Not being vaccinated, we know, is risk-taking behaviour. The selfishness bit, which we also covered, came up in this, because the reality is most people think people who aren’t getting vaccinated are being selfish because they’re passing on the cost and the risk on to somebody else.’
A similar proportion, or 31.3 per cent, blamed Australians being allowed to fly home from virus hotspots, even though National Cabinet on July 2 halved the arrival cap to 3,035.
Another 25.5 per cent blamed the New South Wales government for the moderate lockdown, announced on June 26, that allowed all shops except gyms to trade.
Making matters worse, Australia is coming last among wealthier, OECD nations in the vaccine rollout with just 15 per cent of those aged 16 and over fully vaccinated. BIS Oxford Economics principal economist Sean Langcake said at the current vaccination rate, Australians will be subjected to snap or extended lockdown until Christmas
Only 11.6 per cent blamed a lack of purpose-built quarantine hubs like the one at Howard Springs near Darwin.
How long the lockdowns could last
BIS Oxford Economics principal economist Sean Langcake said at the current vaccination rate, Australians will be subjected to snap or extended lockdown until Christmas.
‘Australia’s vaccine rollout is still ramping up. But at the current pace, it will take until the end of the year for 70 to 80 per cent of the adult population to be fully vaccinated,’ he said.
‘We do not expect to see a return to the relaxed trading and travel conditions enjoyed at the start of 2020 until this threshold is reached.’
While many people had a rational view about the benefits of vaccines, a large proportion of people are hesitant about taking an AstraZeneca jab, despite the death rate standing at just one in 2.5million.
Those under 30 hate lockdowns the most with half, or 49.4 per cent of them, believing the social and economic consequences are worse than the health effects of Covid itself, the July online survey of 1,231 people found