Some 41% of Australians believe life will “go back to normal” within six months whilst a third think the return to normality will take between six months and 12 months, according to a new survey from TEG Insights & TEG Analytics.

The first ever COVID-19 Sentiment Tracker reveals a wealth of insights into the nation’s thoughts and feelings about the virus, including how our political leaders and the live entertainment industry have handled the crisis so far.

The survey also shows that Australia’s caring spirit is shining through with Australians feeling more concerned about the impact of the coronavirus on their loved ones and the community than themselves.

While 63% of Aussies are concerned that they will catch the virus, 83% are concerned others close to them will and 89% are very concerned or somewhat concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

The survey reveals that two thirds of people approve of the way our political leaders across the country have handled the crisis thus far.

Local GPs and live event organisers get the highest approval rating in terms of their response to the outbreak – at 90% and 83% of respondents respectively.

But social media attracts the most disapproval, at 63% of respondents.

Most of us are taking Government and medical advice about ways to reduce the risk of coronavirus, including health and hygiene and social distancing practices. Respondents reported the following changes in behaviour:

  • 84% of us are shaking hands less
  • 75% of us are washing hands more
  • 68% of us have increased use of hand sanitizer
  • 59% of us are staying at home more

The survey sample is nationally representative by age, gender and location with a total sample size of 527 respondents.

Stay safe fans.