Australia been dealt some tough blows lately, with the global COVID-19 pandemic coming right on the heels of the nation’s devastating brush fires. McCrindle, an Australian market research and communications company, teamed up with Cint to find out just how Australians were feeling and behaving in light of the latest crisis. They were hoping to uncover how both virus itself and response to the pandemic have influenced the nation’s sentiment, behaviour and lifestyle.
The ensuing report, “COVID-19: How the global pandemic is shaping the sentiment, behaviour and outlook of Australians,” tells a story to which many of us can relate, no matter our country of residence. At a high level, the research found that Australians:
- Feel anxious and uncertain about the future, with two in five (39%) feeling extremely or very uncertain about the future
- Believe it will be a while before things are back to normal, with 66% feeling that it will take between four months and two years
- Are changing their behaviour to stop the spread of COVID-19, with 86% making some change including more frequent cleaning and social distancing
- Think that working remotely will be the new normal, with 45% strongly/somewhat agreeing that this trend will continue
While these findings can be seen as somewhat universal, the research also dove into some uniquely Australian traits. The report says: “Despite the current challenges, the Aussie sense of humour shines through...Australians believe they are a resilient bunch with the Aussie spirit and sense of humour still going strong. Almost half of Australians (48%) believe they are extremely/very emotionally resilient, while two in five (40%) believe they are physically resilient.” This could perhaps be the key finding in getting a nation through this pandemic.
The report explores the top emotions people are feeling and specific actions they are taking, examining at the data through a generational lens. There are detailed statistics included that cover how people feel (across all ages the majority of people are feeling anxious), behaviour changes (67% are washing their hands more), lifestyle impacts (unable to buy needed items in the store) and where people are getting information. While preferred news sources vary by generation, Australians are overall most likely to be using mainstream broadcasting networks to find out about COVID-19. Perhaps the most positive finding in the report, which could be an eventual silver lining, is Australians’ belief (90% combined) that remote working and learning is a positive move.
To conduct the research, McCrindle tapped into the world’s largest sample exchange from Cint, representing more than 100+ Million panel members globally. In Australia, Cint’s panel currently consists of 1.5 M active, engaged users. McCrindle deployed an online survey to 1,019 individuals, comprised of a nationally representative sample from across Australia. Data was collected between the 19th and 23rd of March 2020.
The hope is that the “Analyse Australia” COVID-19 report will further equip leaders, individuals and communities with an understanding of how Australians are responding to the impact of COVID-19 and be able to use the data for informed decision making. The complete report can be downloaded here: https://analyseaustralia.com/
McCrindle is holding a Webinar to discuss the findings and provide guidance for company leaders called “Australians amidst COVID-19: Leading Teams in Unprecedented Times” on Wednesday, 8 April at 11am AEST. The webinar is being recorded if you are unable to attend the live viewing. Visit: https://analyseaustralia.com/ for the recording.
