Lockdowns have been a key public health measure to reduce the spread of COVID in Australia. While there is ample evidence that lockdowns are an effective means of decreasing the number of new COVID-19 cases, there has also been debate about their impact or cost economically and socially. Lockdowns can take a toll on the population, and there is a limit to how long people and communities can sustain these behaviours. Against this background, NAB recently surveyed 2,000 Australians asking them about their lockdown experience. While support for lockdowns has been quite high, many Australians now believe they should be phased out as vaccinations thresholds are met. Around 1 in 5 Australians believe lockdowns have had a very negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing and only 1 in 2 believe they had access to adequate mental health care. Over 7 in 10 Australians support the idea that vaccinated people should get more freedoms than others.

Get all the details in NAB Behavioural Insights – Living in Lockdown (October 2021)