Pandemic response sees confidence in government soar

Australians' confidence in government and political leaders has skyrocketed over the last 12 months on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic, new analysis shows. The Australian National University (ANU) survey of almost 3,500 adults found confidence in the Federal Government had jumped from 27.3 per cent in January 2020, during the middle of the Black Summer bushfires, to 54.3 per cent a year later. "Compared to January 2020, when much of the country was suffocating from smoke and battling deadly and destructive blazes, confidence in the Federal Government is much higher," study co-author Professor Nicholas Biddle said. "The pandemic has seen a major U-turn for the Federal Government when it comes to how voters view them. "In many ways, the COVID-19 crisis has been a massive shot in the arms for the Government and the Prime Minister; clearly many Australians think they have handled the crisis well. "What's also interesting about these recent findings is that they come at a time when government involvement in our lives has increased substantially - from border closures, to physical distancing measures, to the largest wage subsidy scheme ever introduced in Australia. "Overall, it would seem Australians are neither overtly dissatisfied with this presence or with the implementation of many of these measures." Current levels of confidence are slightly down from their peak during the pandemic though.