Fears of a second COVID wave and another lockdown on NSW voters' minds

Fears of a second wave of COVID-19 in NSW and being forced back into lockdown are top of mind for three out of five voters in the state, with most also worried about a drawn-out recession.

An exclusive Ipsos poll for The Sydney Morning Herald and Nine News reveals 63 per cent of voters are concerned that NSW could follow Victoria and be hit with a high number of COVID-19 cases.

Many NSW voters are concerned over a possible second COVID-19 wave and a drawn out recession, Ipsos polling reveals.Credit: Nick Moir, Rhett Wymann

NSW had one new locally acquired case and three cases in hotel quarantine on Monday while Victoria recorded its first day in four months of no new cases, allowing it to ease restrictions.

NSW Health confirmed the locally acquired case in Sydney is a household contact of a positive test linked with the Oran Park cluster, which has been connected with 23 coronavirus cases.

Gladys Berejiklian has an approval rating of 63 per cent after her handling of the pandemic.Credit: James Brickwood

The poll shows more than 60 per cent of voters are worried about an ongoing recession over the next year, and almost half (49 per cent) are worried about not being able to travel interstate or overseas.

Mental health is also highlighted, with 45 per cent believing their mental health has been affected "a great deal" or "fair amount" by the pandemic and the lockdown.

The impact is significantly higher for those living in metro areas (48 per cent) and for younger people (65 per cent among those aged 18-24 and 61 per cent among those aged 25-39).

Younger people are more worried about their employment prospects than older groups.

Voters aged over 55 are significantly more concerned about catching the virus than others, and people born overseas are also more worried about getting COVID-19 (44 per cent) than those born in Australia (36 per cent).

Ipsos director Jessica Elgood said the Victorian experience, in which the state went back into lockdown after daily cases reached a peak of 725 in August, weighed on NSW voters' minds.

"The good news is that economically, even though people are worried about a recession, they are not as worried about paying their bills as you might think they would be," she said.

But she said the experiences were very different across the age brackets, with young people aged 18-24 the most concerned about becoming or remaining unemployed.

The poll also shows 74 per cent of voters are satisfied with the NSW government's handling of the pandemic while 17 per cent are dissatisfied, with men more likely to be critical.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian's performance through the bushfires and the pandemic has given her a 63 per cent approval rating, with only 16 per cent of voters disapproving.

In Victoria, an Ipsos poll for The Age and Nine News gave Premier Daniel Andrews an approval rating of 52 per cent, with 33 per cent disapproving.

Of those polled in NSW, 58 per cent said they preferred Ms Berejiklian as Premier, while 19 per cent said they would prefer NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay. Nationals leader John Barilaro had an approval rating of 18 per cent.

The results are based on a representative survey of 863 respondents (aged over 18) conducted online. The fieldwork was conducted between October 21 and 23 and the data was weighted to the state demographic profile.

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