Polls produce different attitudes about lockdown

DETERMINING how Victorians feel about the state government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic is proving difficult, with two separate opinion polls conducted earlier this month by two different agencies coming up with different results.
A Roy Morgan survey on Victoria’s Stage 4 restrictions showed 70 per cent approval of Premier Daniel Andrews.
Conducted at the same time, a Sensis poll of small businesses about the state government’s handling of the pandemic produced much more divided results – 22 per cent said the government’s handling was very bad, 14 per cent bad, 15 per cent neither good or bad, 29 per cent good and 20 per cent very good.
The Roy Morgan SMS survey was conducted with a state-wide cross-section of 2,325 Victorians aged 18 and older on September 8-9.
Roy Morgan chief executive officer Michele Levine said the extension of the Stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne did not come as a huge surprise to many, but three-quarters of people now said the state government must compensate all small businesses forced to close by the COVID restrictions.
“So far all financial compensation has come from the federal government.
“The movement in views over the last week has been in relation to people being allowed to visit their immediate families, which is now the majority view of 53 per cent of Victorians – up 6 per cent on a week ago and the Melburnians being allowed to travel more than 5km from their homes for exercise and essential items now at 46 per cent (up 6 per cent).”
The Sensis survey was conducted from September 7-9 by data insights platform Glow and involved 400 small to medium business owners.
Sensis chief executive officer John Allan said he was surprised by the responses, considering the anger expressed by some industry groups following the Stage 4 extension.
“There was definitely less anger from businesses than we saw from some industry groups and even when asked whether Stage 4 restrictions should have been lifted on September 13 as scheduled, 52.2 per cent said yes and 47.8 per cent said no.
“There were varying opinions across the sectors with property and services at 68 per cent, finance at 68 per cent, manufacturing at 63 per cent and construction at 61 per cent saying the restrictions should have been lifted.
“Surprisingly in the retail sector, more businesses (56 per cent) said the restrictions should not have been lifted and 46 per cent in hospitality saying no.”