Australia lockdown lows hit all time high

Almost two thirds of Australians believe that their life has gotten worse during the pandemic and more than half are feeling more negative about the future compared to the first wave of infections, according to new analysis from The Australian National University (ANU). 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. The survey was conducted while about half of Australia, some 13 million people, experienced lockdown restrictions.   - "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. "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." There was an increase in anxiety and worry for those who lived outside of NSW which rose from 48.5 per cent in April 2021 to 56.0 per cent in August.  NSW's worries grew from 50.7 per cent to 67.9 per cent over the same period. "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.