Have your say in our Big Issues Summer Survey

There’s just days remaining for you to share your opinions on the big issues facing the state. TAKE OUR FREE SURVEY >>

A SUCCESSFUL news organisation needs to be at the heart of its community, to be relevant every day to its readership.

It is what we aspire to daily here at the Mercury, in both our digital edition and the printed newspaper.

Our readers are our lifeblood, not simply in pure economic terms of newspaper sales or online subscriptions, but in guiding us on the issues that truly matter to Tasmanians.

We are constantly seeking and evaluating your input and so, today, the Mercury launches its Big Issues Survey 2020. This annual survey has quickly become an essential staple of the Mercury’s end-of-year and new year reporting. It gives us valuable insight into issues Tasmanians feel passionate about.

Last year, tourism was a hot topic, with results of the 2019 survey indicating the majority of respondents, 62 per cent, believed our state was is in danger of welcoming more tourists than it could cope with.

What a difference a year makes.

From January 2020, when we reported readers’ concerns of the state being swamped by visitors, we soon had the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which crippled tourism and hospitality.

Tasmania’s economy and social fabric was hard hit and our survey will endeavour to uncover more detail on issues related to the pandemic.

Were lockdown and border restrictions too tough? Do you feel Tasmania’s health system is ready should we experience another outbreak?

Has the government handled the response well? And what have you found most challenging about the pandemic?

The survey also touches on recurring themes — performance of our political leaders, law and order, public transport and traffic congestion, major developments in city and wilderness areas, impact of shortstay accommodation on rental markets and the effectiveness of our health system.

And we know Tasmanians love their sport. So where do readers sit on the continued push for a stand-alone AFL team, how much love is there for the JackJumpers NBL franchise? And who is the greatest Tasmanian sportsperson of all time?

The Big Issues Survey runs until the new year, then we’ll share the answers on our pages and at themercury.com.au. There are 70 questions. Many require just a yes or no response. If you really want to get your teeth into an issue, there’s ample opportunity in several open ended questions.

We want to hear from you. Take the survey FREE below.

* This survey will take about 15 minutes to complete.