As reported by The Guardian, Essential Research has unusually conducted a new poll just a week after the last. This effectively replicates last week’s suite of questions on coronavirus to tie in with an online forum later today involving The Guardian’s Katharine Murphy and Essential Research’s Peter Lewis.
The results show a sharp rise in concern since last week, with 53% now saying they are very concerned, after the three previous fortnightly polls had it progressing from 25% to 27% to 39%. Only 18% now say they consider there has been an overreaction to the thread, down from 33% last week, while 43% now think the threat has been underestimated, up from 28%. These results imply little change to last week’s finding that 39% thought the response about right, though we will presumably have to await publication of the full report later today for a complete set of numbers. The poll also finds overwhelming support for the restrictive measures that have been taken. The rise in concern appears to have been matched by a decline in skepticism about media reportage, which 42% now say they trust, up from 35% last week.
Also out today is a Roy Morgan SMS poll on coronavirus, showing 43% support for the view that the federal government is handling the crisis well with 49% disagreeing — a rather weak result by international standards (it is noted that a similar poll in the United Kingdom a bit under a fortnight ago had it at 49% and 37%). This poll finds an even higher pitch of public concern than Essential, in that only 15% believed the threat to be exaggerated, with fully 81% disagreeing. Relatedly, 80% said they were willing to sacrifice some of their “human rights” to help prevent the spread of the virus (evidently having a somewhat different conception of that term from my own), with only 14% disagreeing. The poll was conducted on Saturday and Sunday from a sample of 988.
UPDATE: Full report from Essential Research here. The recorded increase in concern about the virus is not matched by a change in perceptions of the government’s handling of it, which 45% rate as good, unchanged on last week, and 31% rate as poor, up two. There is also a question on concern about climate change, which refutes the hopes of some conservative commentators in suggesting it has not been affected by the coronavirus crisis: 31% say they are more concerned than they were a year ago, 53% no more or less so, and 16% less concerned. However, the number of respondents saying Australia is not doing enough to address climate change is down from 60% in November to 55%, with doing enough up one to 23% and doing too much up one to 9%. The poll was conducted Thursday to Sunday from a sample of 1086.
There is a God. Too bad for this fella he isn’t on his side:
C@t
I dont know about that. But I assume WHO announced pandemic around that time frame, and that is what the govt is working off.
Oh crap. I now know the problem. April 1st is my darling Arthur’s birthday, and I always get meloncholy around my deceased husband’s birthday. He died in May so this ain’t a great time for me.
PTMD,
I’ve come through to a similar place to that which you are in but I am motivated to now simply outlive all the people who have done horrible things to me or my children in my life. It’s something.
Also, still being a mum and using the ‘wisdom’ of my years spent surviving on the 3rd Rock from the Sun to help guide my, now adult, kids when they need it. And sometimes even when they don’t ask for it! 😀
You still have a lot to give and you seem like a very wise person to me and such wisdom is not gained easily. So, plug on, because your family need you even if you may not be feeling it directly just now. 🙂
Puffy
Anniversaries can be crap.
My sister fell in a heap during the 2nd anniversary of her husbands passing.
It is very challenging to say the least.
LOS
What is it about gun owners. I’m sure many are sensible, but do some think they need to defend themselves against the virus?
Victoria @ #102 Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 – 10:26 am
Maybe 1st of March plus 10 working days = 12th of March? I dunno! Everything this government attempts to implement is confusing! 😆
Lizzie
I guess it has something to do with those who are thinking that this pandemic is a result of bio weapon warfare.
Although I wonder if these people have figured out who the responsible enemy happens to be
lizzie: “What is it about gun owners. I’m sure many are sensible, but do some think they need to defend themselves against the virus?”
There is a silent majority of gun owners in Australia who are entirely sensible. Unfortunately, we tend to hear from the minority who are stupid. There is an ad in the West Australian today which I think should make any sensible gun owner feel ashamed and angry of those who purport to represent their interests.
https://twitter.com/jennamclarke/status/1244094076598673408
The Premier’s response was totally appropriate IMO.
Having said that, governments should arrange things so that farmers who urgently need additional guns to deal with vermin can still buy them.
Ground floor investment opportunities available right now.
Be quick – hit the big red button to donate to the ………………..party. Vast amounts of moolah to be had. Guaranteed no investigations – no pain – permanent income.
Send bank account details (with PIN no) to the Chief Financial Officer C/- this blog.
Pay no attention to the “Do Not Press” notice. That’s just to deter time wasters.
Brown paper bags available for those with cash – must be sanitised. 🧼
“Since when did the 12th of March come after today, the 31st of March!?!”
You have forgotten that the LNP are the Masters of Fiscal Time Travel. It’s paid on the 12th March 2300 (when they finally have a surplus, and via the use of tachyon beaming the information is sent back to today.
Puffytmd
Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 – 10:27 am
Comment #104
Melancholy – fine. We, you, I, us sometimes start to cry for no obvious triggering point. That’s no problem. Simply means that we are human – we’ll be better in a moment and besides, I want to hear more of your story. Many parallels. Love always (excellent movie).😵 Dizzy face – near permanent state for me.
Being old and almost invisible – this morning while starting my mower a little red headed girl with a fluffy dog in tow (maybe vice versa) stopped to say howdy. Made my day. Why are little girls and dogs so beautiful ❓
meher baba @ #111 Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 – 9:38 am
?? There’s suddenly a vermin problem? Farmers don’t already have guns for that very issue? Pull the other one.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/two-coles-staff-in-melbourne-s-south-east-test-positive-to-covid-19-20200330-p54ffu.html
Someone on Twitter is saying “Always wash fruit and vegetables”.
With soap?
Prepackaged are looking good now.
lizzie
Perhaps for those who are worried they can leave them for 2-3 days. That should give the ‘plague’ time to become inactive and so avoid the ‘added flavours’.
Mavis @ #65 Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 – 10:02 am
Your reliable source may be mistaken. It’s certainly not in my bank account. I’m also wondering what date they’ve planned for those not in the “most” cohort mentioned in Kay-Jay’s post above (i.e “most” to be paid by 17 April).
Is it possible for this government to announce anything that is not as clear as mud? Probably not.
All actions which we now know to have been vital for the control of the virus were considered too expensive, or likely to cause “loss of goodwill” for cruise passengers. The plan was also dismissed because of the many travellers who enter Oz by air.
Scuttled?
lizzie @ #117 Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 – 10:51 am
I always wash fruit and veg. Not sure about the soap though. I see several posts from folks in the US advocating it, however.
It’s going to be an alphabetical rollout???
Stuart Robert only said the payments “started” today.
A few thousand payments – say to those whose surnames started with “X”, “Y” or “Z” – would be enough to qualify as a “start” to the rollout.
And cost virtually nothing.
If they’re ever accused of delaying the start of the scheme so they could brag how close they came to a “balanced” budget in the first 3 quarters of 2019-20 (but for the fires and the virus) the early payments would be their defence.
You read it here first.
Mavis @ #65 Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 – 10:02 am
Not to my daughter, it hasn’t. ‘Between March 31 and April 17’ includes March 31. Your reliable source has reliably informed us that payments have started, to the lucky very few.
We treat all incoming physical items including fruit and vegies (whether loose or pre-packed) as potential fomites.
Basically we spread them out on the floor and leave them there for at least a day. Packaged stuff that has to go into the fridge gets wiped. Carry bags are also spread out on the floor. Boots are left outside the door.
Once all that is done we wipe the door handles we touched on the way in. Then we wash our hands. Again.
With a bit of luck another potential Virus portal has been managed effectively and it is time for a bracing cuppa and a yummy dementia slice.
The Virus loves being piggy-backed from place to place.
This government has to be the trickiest set of shysters ever spawned.
From a younger rellie:
‘Mum always told me that I would not accomplish anything by lying around home all day and doing nothing.
But look at me now. I am saving the world.’
Re Jobkeeper Payment:
What about those employees who changed their job in the last 12 months? Am I correct to assume that they are ineligible?
As usual, the Aardvarks have all the luck.
Rupert has opened the books and welcomed a new ‘made man’ to full membership of the outfit:
https://www.facebook.com/532824856/posts/10158036284474857/?d=n
If you can’t open the link, it’s today’s article by Bramston in the GG.
vote1julia
As i understand it the only people not included are casuals employed for less than 1 year and people that start working after March 1.
Doing a little tree maintenance this morning – a police car (including a police driver) pull a motorist to the side of the road.
Police man exits patrol car and steps up to the offending vehicles driver’s window – one or both at risk.
Clever – I think not.
Boerwar @ #216 Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 – 10:19 am
You might like this one https://twitter.com/MJA_Editor/status/1244327877148983296?s=09
C@t, your friend is eligible for 3 months paid long service leave as a casual who has worked for same employer for 20 years. See Long Service Leave Entitlements NSW.
FDotM cartoon makes me suspect some Bludger ‘chart club’ members have been leaving comments for FDotM …….(2nd last panel)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/30/obsessively-consuming-every-morsel-of-information-about-coronavirus-or-trying-to-avoid-the-news-completely
Victoria @ #47 Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 – 9:49 am
That might be because being ‘American’ is not a racial thing? 🙂
Player one
Precisely my frickin point. Bitching about the leadership of China or the USA should not be a racial thing.
Victoria @ #138 Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 – 10:42 am
Then say precisely that, and not just “Chinese”.
ajm
Great vid, IMO.
Speaking as a scientist (and amateur philosopher), I have for years been critical of economics as taught. Among the whinges (there are more) are :
1- that they (economists) are performing experiments on the public without informed consent.
2- they make predictions from a theory, but when the predictions fail, they do not abandon the theory or look for a better working hypothesis. They persist with the same theory.
3. They use mathematical expressions and draw graphs but (often) use no actual data points for checking.
4 – (The big one) The value of self-sufficiency or self-reliance is ignored and counted as a defect by implication. By contrast, large-scale movement of materials is seen as a positive good. In the consequences of the present trouble, food supply will be severely compromised.
Much more you can learn from the Canadian John Ralston Saul – particularly “The Doubter’s Companion”
It’s Time
When people talk about the “bloody Americans in Iraq” do you really think the general assumption is they are talking about the citizens of the US rather than the government ?
Ballantyne & yabba:
[‘Your reliable source may be mistaken. It’s certainly not in my bank account.’]
Payments have started from today. My source is a veteran, who phoned to tell me of his good luck. It appears that the payments are being staggered over a fortnight or so.
beguiledagain from the last post:
Yes. And you miss the point entirely by focussing on the hours.
No, mate, that was my point.
Casuals are the workers who will be let down badly by this subsidy.
For example, a small business owner ( coffee shop, cafe or takeaway ) had five casual staff on their books before being forced to close down. That business owner would be up for $3750 a week in wages payment to their staff (5 x$750) for upwards of a month or more before receiving the wage subsidy payment from the ATO.
How many small business owners would enough cash reserves to pay staff up front especially if they have closed down and have to pay their own bills and support their own families ?
Many small business owners, despite wanting to help their workers, would simply say “ all too hard” resulting in their staff missing out on the subsidy. Then you would have those small business owners who just could not give a shit.
Add in the many thousands of casuals employed for less than 12 months and the huge number of visa holders missing out and you can see how screwed the casual workers of this country will be unless the exemptions are changed and some incentive is given to small business owners to pay their staff up front.
I posted this earlier today on the other thread:
“Speaking of which, our PM has been quite dismissive of repatriating Australians overseas, seeming to lump them all in the same irresponsible bucket. Yet this appears not to be the case. Many in South America had their return flights cancelled (including by Qantas) with no other options left except un-affordable charter flights. Other countries are repatriating. Why aren’t we?
Also, where is the ticket money going for all the cancelled flights that were already paid for? A Qantas flight to South America is close to $2K at the best of times. Multiply that by hundreds of people and a few million $ have just been trousered by the not-flying Kangaroo. If they haven’t declared bankruptcy the money should be handed back or a replacement flight arranged. Some interesting details in this article.”
https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/coronavirus/2020/03/30/australians-peru-evacuation-coronavirus/
Now that Virgin has finally admitted it is in financial trouble (as it was last year) I wonder if there is a solution here? If there was a buy out instead of a bail out, assistance could be in the form of paying them to run repatriation flights. Otherwise its lots more people on the Job keep bill.
This is another great feature of the jobkeep scheme – it gives a sociopathic governmetn an incentive to think about how to keep people in work.
The imputations made wrt to the ‘Chinese’ were that they carried disease, were implicitly dirty, certainly untrustworthy, and were a source of contamination and were specially culpable for the genesis of the pandemic. In one example, it was suggested the virus had been deliberately or consciously transmitted beyond Wuhan/China to other countries. In this respect, it implies Chinese people are weapons or tools in a war. The inference is that Chinese people are to be regarded as enemies. Such remarks were made more than once.
Had such imputations been made of Jews they would have been immediately recognised as anti-Semitic. Had they been made of people of colour they would have been taken as racist sentiments. In the case in point they were made of Chinese who have elsewhere been conflated with Asians more generally.
The depictions are bigoted. They generalise and defile a whole people. They are factually wrong. They are phobic.