New research conducted by dentsu reveals that despite restrictions starting to ease across the country, Australians are more concerned with their safety and security than returning to normalcy or gaining more freedom.
The dentsu Consumer Intelligence Study has examined the behaviour of 1,681 Australians over the last four weeks to get a pulse-check on how people are thinking and feeling as they move through different stages of the pandemic.
Key take-outs from the study included:
- Over 50 per cent of parents say home-schooling their children has negatively affected their mood.
- 78 per cent of Australians are spending their spare time watching TV.
- Blame Gen Z’s for buying all the flour, with 49 per cent of youth spending their time indoors baking
- 45 per cent of Millennials say they are eating more snacks, while a third of Gen Z’s are exercising less.
- Only 39 per cent of Australians say they completely trust the Government.
- On average, Australians believe it will take nine months before life returns to normal.
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20 per cent of Gen Z’s and 21 per cent of Millennials say they are “constantly” seeking out information.
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80 per cent of Boomers seek out information about COVID-19 at least once a day.
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Only 15 per cent of Australians saying they trust social media or technology companies. Gen Z’s and Millennials have higher levels of trust in social media than older Australians.
More than 40 per cent of Australians say they are now living a ‘new normal’ and, on average, people believe it will take at least nine months before life returns to how it was before COVID-19. However, the research also shows not all of us are as confident, with 17 per cent believing that life will never return to how things previously were.
Younger demographics are taking longer to adapt to the situation: 14 per cent of Gen Z’s are still experiencing ‘initial shock’ and 28 per cent of Millennials admit to still ‘coming to grips’ with things.
Christine McKinnon, dentsu’s head of intelligence, commented: “This research provides us with a good understanding of how Australians are thinking, feeling and acting during a crisis and, importantly, how people might emerge on the other side.
“Since COVID-19 started, most Australians have been living a comparable way of life indoors. As restrictions begin to ease, we can expect to see some interesting shifts in how people view society, how they change their lifestyle, and any changes to people’s level of trust in our key institutions.
“Right now, security remains a key focus for people under 60, whereas older Australians are seeking stronger leadership. People have also told us that they are concerned about the economy, unemployment, climate change and immigration.
“School restrictions starting to ease is likely welcome news for many parents, who have indicated that they have been spending four hours each day home schooling their children. Many parents have also admitted that home schooling their children has negatively affected their mood.
“We’ll be using these insights to help businesses recognise how their customers or employees may have changed since the outbreak began and what plans they need to put in place to ensure they are engaging with the right people at the right time,” said McKinnon.
