CONFIDENCE in the federal government has “skyrocketed” over the last year, according to a new study from ANU.

Only 27.3 per cent of the 3500 adults surveyed had confidence in the government in January 2020, during the middle of the Black Summer bushfires. That number has since jumped to 54.3 per cent a year later.

Prof Nicholas Biddle, who co-authored the study, says the pandemic has seen a major U-turn for the federal government when it comes to how voters view them.

“In many ways, the COVID-19 crisis has been a massive shot in the arms for the government and the Prime Minister; clearly many Australians think they have handled the crisis well,” he says.

“What’s also interesting about these recent findings is that they come at a time when government involvement in our lives has increased substantially – from border closures, to physical distancing measures, to the largest wage subsidy scheme ever introduced in Australia.

“Overall, it would seem Australians are neither overtly dissatisfied with this presence or with the implementation of many of these measures.”

Current levels of confidence are still slightly down from their peak during the pandemic in November when 59.9 per cent of Australians said they were confident in the federal government.

“There are some early signs that confidence may be waning as the pandemic response enters a new phase, something for the federal government to keep a close eye on,” says Prof Biddle.

The latest survey, which forms part of Australia’s longest running and largest longitudinal study of the impact of covid across Australia, also found that hospitals and the health system enjoyed the highest level of confidence among Australians.

The federal government garnered the lowest level of confidence when compared with key institutions such as with police, state and territory governments, and the public service.

Females respondents were more confident in the federal government and police, but less confident in hospitals and the health system, says Prof Biddle.

“In contrast, young Australians were less confident in the federal government and particularly less confident in the police,” he says. 

“Indigenous Australians were also less confident in the federal government and much less confident in the police. This is an important finding, considering the profound impact of the Black Lives Matter movement in Australia and across the globe.

“We also found people born overseas were less confident in hospitals and the health system. This presents a challenge to policymakers and frontline health workers who need to ensure vulnerable members of our society are getting the care and support they need during the global pandemic.”

The study also found a significant improvement in mental health outcomes between November 2020 and January 2021.

“There has been an extraordinary reduction in psychological distress over such a short period of time,” says Prof Biddle.

“Distress levels are lower than at any time since the arrival of COVID-19 in Australia and are mostly back to pre-pandemic levels.”

The survey showed Australians were very optimistic about the future, and more optimistic than they were last January during the height of the bushfire crisis. The group who is most optimistic about the next 12 months is young Australians, and particularly those aged 18 to 24 years.

“If someone isn’t optimistic about the future, they are not going to invest in their own education, think about starting a relationship or a family, or make other big decisions,” Prof Biddle says.

“This last year has been so hard for young Australians in particular, and it is heartening to know that they are looking towards the next 12 months with much more hope and optimism.”