Lockdown breakdown: Crisis that worries Queenslanders more than killer virus

An exclusive new nationwide survey has revealed Queenslanders’ biggest fears extend well beyond just catching the Covid-19 virus. SEE THE RESULTS

Jobs and mental health problems from the pandemic are a bigger concern to Queenslanders than catching the Covid-19 virus.

Deep distress over the impact of lockdowns is identified in an exclusive new nationwide survey of 3114 Australians, with 30 per cent of Queenslanders revealing the emotional wellbeing of themselves or their families has suffered in the past three months.

Most Queenslanders worry less about catching Covid-19 than losing their jobs, with business closures and job losses topping the list of concerns for 58 per cent of people as the financial cost of lockdowns hits home.

Mental health is the second-biggest concern – just over half of Queenslanders know someone whose mental health has suffered during the pandemic.

Many Queenslanders are worried about losing their jobs or business. Picture: File image

With one in three Queenslanders fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and borders slammed shut, 47 per cent are worried about “lots more Covid-19 and deaths in the community’’ and just 39 per cent fear catching the virus.

But border closures are taking their toll, with 38 per cent of Queenslanders worried about the lack of contact with friends and family, and 35 per cent concerned about a loss of personal freedoms.

Covid-19 restrictions are hitting the hip-pocket, with 30 per cent of Queenslanders financially worse off over the past three months and 35 per cent worried about loss of income.

Young Australians and poor households are suffering the most – with 18 to 35-year-olds more likely to report worsening emotional wellbeing, and those earning less than $50,000 a year reporting the highest rate of financial loss.

Wealthier Australians earning more than $100,000 a year are twice as likely to report being better off financially over the past three months, compared to those on lower incomes.

Retirees are the most resilient, with the “silent generation’’ of over-75s half as likely as younger Australians to feel “a lot worse off” emotionally.

Physical health is also being impacted, with 35 per cent of Queenslanders postponing or cancelling health checks, such as mammograms, at the risk of more serious illness and disease in the future.

The YouGov poll, conducted exclusively for News Corp Australia between August 20 to 25, will add to the political pressures to better balance Covid-19 control strategies against the need for economic prosperity, educational outcomes and mental health.

The poll shows one in three Australians is fully vaccinated while nearly one in four has had the first jab.

Nearly one third have not been vaccinated yet but want to be, and 14 per cent do not want to be immunized against Covid-19.

Vaccine refusal is highest in South Australia, where one in five residents does not want the jab, with a high rate of 17 per cent in Queensland.

Only 7 per cent of Tasmanians are vaccine hesitant, compared to 13 per cent in Victoria and 14 per cent in NSW and Western Australia.

Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia (COSBOA) chief executive Alexi Boyd said lockdowns and trading restrictions were “horrendous’’ for her 850,000 members.

“In a way, health is running the economy,’’ she said.

“There’s a compounding effect of growing debt, trying to hold on to staff, and growing stress.

“Everybody’s in a holding pattern – the fear is that if this keeps going the businesses that have forcibly closed might not survive.

“It’s disastrous in terms of small business (owners’) mental health.’’

Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia chief executive Alexi Boyd. Picture: supplied

Mental health problems are afflicting young Australians the most, as lockdowns kill off casual jobs and send house prices soaring just as younger generations are trying to build careers, buy homes and start families.

Two-thirds of Gen-Zs aged under 25, and 58 per cent of Millennials aged 25-40, personally know someone whose mental health has suffered due to lockdowns.

For Baby Boomers, who can cash in on rising real estate values as they enter retirement, the figure is 36 per cent.

Nearly 60 per cent of Australians want schools to reopen, even during Covid-19 outbreaks, once everyone has had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated.

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute research fellow and clinical psychologist Dr Ali Fogarty said children were suffering physical and mental health problems due to lockdowns.

“Young people have had it really tough over the last 18 months, missing out on key activities that bring a lot of social connection,’’ she said.

“Young people are using screens more, and lack of physical activity can have a big impact on mental health, and be a risk factor for depression.

“We need to prioritise mental health alongside physical health.’’

The YouGov poll shows that women are more likely than men to worry about the economic and social side-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, with 61 per cent rating business closures, job losses and mental health impacts as their biggest concerns.

Among men, 55 per cent are concerned about businesses and jobs, and 51 per cent about mental health.

Mothers worry more about their kids’ education, with 61 per cent declaring lockdowns would have a negative long-term effect, compared to 43 per cent of fathers.

A large proportion of mothers surveyed were worried about the impact lockdowns were having on children’s education. Picture: File image.

Women are also more likely to postpone health checks, and to report lower emotional wellbeing and a worsened financial situation.

Dr Fiona Martin, a psychologist and Liberal MP who chairs the federal parliamentary committee on mental health and suicide prevention, said that “anxiety is growing like a virus in a petrie dish’’.

“Parents are anxious and stressed right now because they’re trying to keep their families safe, get vaccinated, manage a business or job while also supervising and educating their children, and running a home,’’ she said.

“I think it’s particularly tough on women because they tend to take on the mental load.

“The stress placed on parents at times will trickle down to children … I’m most concerned about children living in apartments … or vulnerable children who live in families where it’s not safe.’’

Only one in six Queenslanders wants lockdowns to continue until Covid-19 is eliminated, but nearly half think lockdowns should lift once 80 per cent of the eligible population is vaccinated, with one in five wanting to lift lockdowns once everyone who wants to be vaccinated has had the jab.

One in eight Queenslanders want lockdowns lifted immediately.

Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) acting chief executive Edwina MacDonald warned that Covid-19 is “shining a light on stark inequalities across our communities’’.

“People on low incomes and in insecure work and housing, including many young people, are suffering the financial and mental toll of lockdowns, which are necessary for public health reasons,’’ she said.

“People on low incomes and experiencing disadvantage are also at greatest risk of exposure to the virus and to missing out in the vaccine roll-out’’.