[LINK] Australians wary of any ‘living with Covid’ strategy that would lead to more deaths

[Stephen Loosley]

Guardian Essential poll: Australians wary of any ‘living with Covid’ strategy that would lead to more deaths

Majority of respondents also say lockdowns and other restrictions should continue until substantial proportion of children are fully vaccinated

By Katharine Murphy Political editor  Tue 31 Aug 2021
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/aug/31/guardian-essential-poll-australians-wary-of-any-living-with-covid-strategy-that-would-lead-to-more-deaths


Australians are concerned about any “living with Covid” strategy that would lead to a significant increase in hospitalisations and deaths – and a majority in the latest Guardian Essential poll think governments should not end current lockdowns until a substantial proportion of children are fully vaccinated.

Amid sustained political, epidemiological and community debate about Australia’s four-phase reopening strategy, the latest Guardian Essential survey of 1,100 respondents finds only 12% of the sample would be comfortable with any transition that increases deaths and hospitalisations.

While senior Coalition players such as the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, have declared elimination of the Delta variant is impossible, saying Australians must learn to live with the virus, 44% of Guardian Essential respondents (including 37% of Coalition voters in the sample) believe the current strategy should be getting Covid-19 cases down as close to zero as possible.

The same percentage of respondents (44%) say they would be comfortable with a reopening strategy that involves living with a few cases of Covid-19 in the community, as long as there were “very few hospitalisations and deaths”.

Asked to nominate the number of Covid-related deaths that it would be acceptable for Australia to live with once restrictions are eased, 61% of respondents say fewer than 100 deaths per year, 25% say between 100 and 1,000 deaths per year, 10% say between 1,000 and 3,000 deaths per year, 2% say between 3,000 and 5,000 deaths per year, and 3% say more than 5,000 deaths per year.

The latest poll also indicates parents are worried that unvaccinated children are vulnerable in the Delta outbreak. A majority of respondents (58%) say lockdowns and other restrictions should continue until a substantial proportion of children are fully vaccinated.

Underscoring a mood of caution as infections continue to rise, and the national death toll from coronavirus passes 1,000, a majority (65%) also thinks public health measures, such as wearing masks in crowds and social distancing, should remain after the vaccination targets of 70-80% of the population aged over 16 are achieved.

While the Morrison government has been channelling a growing mood of community frustration in the lockdown states, declaring that lockdowns must end once vaccination rates reach between 70 and 80% of the adult population – the poll indicates that a majority nationally (52%, including 51% of Coalition voters in the sample) think the current restrictions are about right, with 23% believing they are too strong and 10% too weak.

Broken down into attitudes by state, respondents in Victoria are more likely to characterise the restrictions as too strong than counterparts in New South Wales (35% to 28%). A similar percentage says restrictions are about right (57% to 56%), while 8% of Victorians say restrictions are too weak, compared with 15% in NSW. State by state breakdowns involve smaller sample sizes, so caution should be applied to the results.

People on the frontline of the winter Delta outbreak, voters in NSW and Victoria, are also unhappy with management of the pandemic by their state governments.

In the middle of March, 75% approved of Gladys Berejiklian’s management of the pandemic, and in the latest poll that’s down to 40% – which is the state government’s lowest ebb during the pandemic.

In May, 63% approved of Daniel Andrews’ pandemic management, and that’s now down to 44%. Approval of pandemic management in Victoria, with residents now enduring their sixth lockdown, has slid 12 points in a fortnight (56% to 44%).

While Scott Morrison has been attempting in recent days to argue that substantial problems in the national vaccination rollout are now a thing of the past given the rate of inoculations has accelerated, voters are clear-eyed when asked to nominate what is currently the biggest barrier to vaccinations.

A majority (52%) say the barrier is an ongoing shortage of supply of Covid-19 vaccines for people who are eligible and willing to get vaccinated. A number of premiers have pointed out there are still shortages of mRNA vaccines.

Voters also nominate hesitancy as an issue, with 48% saying the barrier is unwillingness among people who are eligible for a Covid-19 jab to get vaccinated.

Back in February, 65% of the Guardian Essential sample approved of Scott Morrison’s performance, but that is now down to 50%, and 41% of respondents disapprove.

Morrison’s approval and disapproval metrics been stable for three consecutive polls, suggesting his slide has ebbed, and the prime minister also remains comfortably ahead of the Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, as preferred prime minister (47% to 26%, with 27% unable to nominate a preference).

Slightly more respondents in the sample say Morrison is doing a good job of managing the pandemic (39%) than a poor job (36%) – but that level of affirmation puts the prime minister behind Berejiklian and Andrews for pandemic management approval.

Voters were asked in this fortnight’s survey whether the Morrison government – which must face the voters either later this year or in the first half of 2022 – deserved to be re-elected.

More voters (41%) said it was time to give someone else a go than agreed the Coalition deserved a fourth term (36%).
Around a quarter of respondents weren’t sure. A majority of Coalition voters (71%) said Morrison deserved another term, but 30% either thought not, or were on the fence.

Trust – which rebounded over the first 12 months of the pandemic – has also eroded.

This time last year, 66% of the Guardian Essential sample agreed with the statement: “I trust the federal government to provide honest and objective information about the Covid-19 pandemic”. In August of 2021, that’s down to 52%.

The media has also endured an erosion of trust over the past 12 months. Last August 50% of the sample said they trusted the information the media was providing about the public health crisis. Now, that’s down ten points to 40%.