Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey

This publication presents results from the Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey, a longitudinal survey which collects information from the same panel each month. The January 2021 survey was run between 18 and 31 January 2021 via online forms and telephone interviews. The survey included 3,004 continuing participants, a response rate of 88% of the sample.

The January 2021 survey collected information on:

• actions taken to manage health
• health precautions
• comfort with social gatherings
• changes in spending
• use of stimulus payments
• household financial stress and actions
• training and development of skills
• changes to job status.

The scope of the survey was people aged 18 years and over in private dwellings across Australia (excluding very remote areas).

This survey is designed to provide a quick snapshot of the changing social and economic situation for Australian households with particular focus on how they are faring in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each cycle collects information on different topics.

From August 2020, the survey introduced a new panel of respondents but kept a similar design to the eight fortnightly surveys conducted from 1 April to 10 July 2020. The results for all past publications can be accessed by selecting ‘View all releases’ in the header of this publication.

Some topics have been repeated in both the fortnightly and monthly surveys. Where relevant, comparisons are made based on the weighted representative data for both surveys. The monthly survey gathered information via online forms and telephone interviews. The previous fortnightly survey was collected via the telephone only. This change in survey methodology means that comparing topics across the two survey iterations should be treated with caution.

Proportions marked with an asterisk (*) have a Margin of Error (MoE) >10 percentage points which should be considered when using this information. For more information about MoEs refer to the publication Methodology.

From 18 to 31 January 2021, when this survey was conducted, all newly acquired cases in Australia were from overseas and managed through hotel quarantine. Only one local transmission was recorded in Western Australia on the final day of interviews.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, initiatives in place to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and support the economy included:

• ongoing international travel restrictions 
• border control measures for some states and territories
• two economic stimulus packages (12 March and 22 March 2020)
• a safety net package of $1.1 billion to expand mental health and Telehealth services, increase domestic violence services and provide more emergency food relief (29 March 2020)
• stimulus payments including:
  • a Coronavirus Supplement paid fortnightly from 27 April 2020 to eligible income support recipients along with their usual payments (reduced in September 2020 and January 2021, and extended until March 2021)
  • a JobKeeper Payment passed in legislation on 15 April 2020 and paid to employers to keep more Australians in jobs and support businesses affected by the COVID-19 restrictions (reduced to include two tiers in September 2020 and January 2021, and extended until March 2021)
• various restrictions, including shutting down non-essential services, limits on gatherings and social distancing rules from March 2020
• a guided easing of these restrictions in many states and territories using the National Cabinet agreed three step framework introduced in early May 2020.

At the time of the survey, all states and territories had eased most restrictions although a number of locations had introduced short and sharp lockdowns to manage local transmissions when required. None of these lockdowns occurred while this survey was being conducted.

• Over two in three (68%) people reported their physical health in January 2021 was about the same as before COVID-19 restrictions began in March 2020.
• Since March 2020, 86% of people have participated in one or more activities to manage their physical health.
• The most common activities for managing physical health were walking regularly for transport, exercise, recreation or sport (60%), regularly doing physical activity (47%), watching or changing diet (47%) and getting enough sleep (46%).
• Three in ten (30%) people have placed more or much more priority on their physical health since March 2020.

In January, Australians aged 18 years and over were asked to assess their overall physical health on a five-point scale ranging from excellent to poor.

Around two in five (43%) people reported their physical health to be excellent or very good, while one in five (20%) reported their physical health as fair or poor.

When asked to compare their physical health now with before COVID-19 restrictions in March 2020:

• over two in three (68%) people reported their physical health was about the same
• one in five (20%) reported their physical health was worse or much worse
• one in eight (12%) reported their physical health was better or much better.

Those more likely to report that their physical health was worse or much worse were:

• people aged 18 to 34 years (24%) compared with those aged 65 years and over (17%)
• people in Victoria (26%) compared with those in New South Wales (22%), Queensland (18%), South Australia (16%), Western Australia (10%) and the rest of Australia (Tasmania/Northern Territory/Australian Capital Territory) (16%)
• people born in Australia (22%) compared with those born overseas (16%)
• people with disability (28%) compared with those with no disability (18%)
• people with a long-term health condition (25%) compared with those without a long-term health condition (16%).

People were asked about activities they used to manage their physical health since March 2020, excluding formal health services. The selected activities included:

• walking regularly for transport, exercise, recreation or sport
• regularly doing physical activity (excludes walking)
• watching or changing your diet
• quitting or reducing smoking
• cutting out or reducing alcohol consumption
• getting enough sleep
• other programs or activities.

Since March 2020, 86% of people reported they participated in one or more activities to manage their physical health. Commonly reported activities included:

• walking regularly for transport, exercise, recreation or sport (60%)
• regularly doing physical activity (excluding walking) (47%)
• watching or changing their diet (47%)
• getting enough sleep (46%).

Since March 2020:

• men (52%) were more likely to be regularly doing physical activity (excluding walking) than women (41%)
• women (52%) were more likely to be watching or changing their diet than men (42%).

In January, people were asked whether they were prioritising their overall physical health more, less or about the same, compared to before March 2020.

Three in five (60%) people prioritised their physical health about the same, three in ten (30%) prioritised it more or much more, and one in nine (11%) prioritised it less or much less, compared to before March 2020.

People who reported that they had changed the priority of their physical health (i.e. they were prioritising their physical health either more or less) since March 2020, were asked whether this was due to COVID-19. Around two in five (43%) reported the change was not due to COVID-19, 39% reported that it was due to COVID-19, and 18% were not sure.

Those who had changed the priority of their physical health due to COVID-19 were more likely to be:

• people aged 65 years and over (50%) than those aged 18 to 34 years (36%)
• people in Victoria (49%) than in South Australia (24%) and Western Australia (31%)
• people living alone (47%) than those in family households with children (34%).

• Around two in five (42%) Australians reported their mental health to be excellent or very good in January 2021, while one in five (21%) reported their mental health as fair or poor.
• One in five Australians (22%) reported their mental health in January 2021 as worse or much worse than before the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2020.
• Since March 2020, 67% of Australians used one or more strategies to manage their mental health.

In January 2021, the survey asked Australians aged 18 years and over to assess their mental health on a five-point scale ranging from excellent to poor.

This iteration of the survey gathered information via online forms and telephone interviews. Self-assessed mental health was also asked in the July 2020 cycle, gathered via telephone only. This change in survey methodology means that comparisons of self-assessed mental health between January 2021 and July 2020 should be treated with caution. 

Around two in five (42%) Australians reported their mental health to be excellent or very good in January 2021, while one in five (22%) reported their mental health as fair or poor.

When asked to compare their mental health now with before COVID-19 restrictions in March 2020:

• two in three (67%) reported their mental health was about the same
• one in five (22%) reported their mental health was worse or much worse
• one in nine (11%) reported their mental health was much better or better. 

Comparing January 2021 with before March 2020:

• similar proportions of men (21%) and women (24%) reported worse or much worse mental health
• younger people aged 18 to 34 years were more likely to report their mental health as worse or much worse (29%) than people aged 35 to 64 years (21%) and 65 years and over (15%). 

The survey asked about the strategies used to manage mental health since March 2020, excluding formal services. The selected strategies included:

• taking non-prescription medicines, vitamins, supplements or herbal remedies
• watching or changing your diet
• practising meditation, mindfulness, yoga or other relaxation techniques
• organising your home, life or other things
• practising thinking positively or setting achievable goals
• increasing your level of exercise or physical activity
• doing more of the things you enjoy
• seeking support from family or friends
• using alcohol or drugs
• cutting out alcohol or drugs
• using prescription medicines
• other strategies.

Since March 2020, two in three (67%) Australians used one or more strategies to manage their mental health.

The survey found:

• women were more likely than men to have used one or more strategies to manage their mental health (74% compared with 59%)
• people aged 18 to 34 years (72%) and those aged 35 to 64 years (68%) were more likely to have used one or more strategies to manage their mental health than people aged 65 years and over (54%).

Commonly reported strategies that people used included organising their home, life or other things (36%), doing more of the things they enjoy (31%) and practicing thinking positively or setting achievable goals (30%).

Respondents were asked whether they had prioritised their mental health since the start of COVID-19 restrictions in March 2020.

Around two in five (38%) people prioritised their mental health at around the same level as they had before March 2020. One in four (26%) people put more or much more priority on their mental health since March 2020:

• women were more likely than men to prioritise their mental health more or much more since March 2020 (31% compared with 21%)
• one in three (35%) people aged 18 to 34 years prioritised their mental health more or much more since March 2020 compared with one in four (26%) aged 35 to 64 years and one in eight (13%) aged 65 years and over.

People who reported they prioritised their mental health were also asked whether this was due to the pandemic. Of those who prioritised their mental health more since March 2020, over half (56%) did so because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• In January, the majority (95%) of people in Victoria reported wearing a facemask in the last week compared with 82% in New South Wales and 31% in the rest of Australia.

At the time of the survey, all states and territories had eased most restrictions although a number of locations had introduced short and sharp lockdowns to manage local transmissions when required. None of these lockdowns occurred while the January survey was being conducted.

In January, almost all (94%) Australians took one or more precautions in the previous week because of the spread of COVID-19, a slight decrease compared with 96% in November 2020. The precautions included:

• washing hands or using hand sanitiser regularly (90%, a decrease from 93% in November)
• keeping a physical distance from people (73%, a decrease from 80% in November)
• wearing a facemask (64%, an increase from 52% in November)
• disinfecting surfaces before using them (48%, a decrease from 57% in November)
• staying at home (40%, a decrease from 45% in November)
• getting home deliveries, including groceries and household products (15%, a decrease from 20% in November).

In January:

• women (51%) were more likely than men (44%) to disinfect surfaces before using them
• people aged 65 years and over (81%) were more likely than those aged 18 to 64 years (72%) to keep a physical distance from others
• people in Victoria (95%) were more likely than those in New South Wales (82%) and the rest of Australia (31%) to wear a facemask
• people in New South Wales (50%) and Victoria (42%) were more likely than those in the rest of Australia (31%) to stay at home due to COVID-19
• people born overseas (68%) were more likely than those born in Australia (63%) to wear a facemask
• people with disability (48%) were more likely than those with no disability (38%) to stay at home due to COVID-19

• people with a long-term health condition (78%) were more likely than those without a long-term health condition (69%) to keep physical a distance from others.

• In January 2021, over one in three (36%) Australians chose not to attend a social gathering since 1 December 2020 due to COVID-19.
• Australians were more comfortable attending social gatherings at a friend or family member’s residence (87%) or their own residence (86%), than at nightclubs or bars (34%) or community events (53%).
• People aged 65 years and over (62%) were more likely at social gatherings to avoid interactions like shakings hands and hugging than those aged 18 to 64 years (56%).

In January 2021, the survey asked Australians about their comfort with attending social gatherings, and the impact of COVID-19 on their comfort or choice to attend.

The survey was conducted from mid to late January 2021, at a time when many of the restrictions in states and territories had been eased or lifted, with the exception of short sharp periods of lock down when clusters of local transmission had been identified.

In January 2021, Australians were comfortable or very comfortable with attending social gatherings at:

• friend or family member’s residence (87%)
• their own residence (86%)
• restaurants (71%)
• community events (53%)
• nightclubs or bars (34%).

Two in three (66%) people were uncomfortable or very uncomfortable with attending social gatherings at nightclubs or bars. Almost a half (47%) of people were uncomfortable or very uncomfortable with attending social gatherings at a community event.

In January 2021, over one in three (36%) Australians reported they had not attended one or more social gatherings since 1 December 2020 due to COVID-19.

Those who reported not attending a social gathering since 1 December 2020 due to COVID-19 were more likely to be:

• people aged 18 to 64 years than those 65 years and over (37% compared with 31%)
• people with disability than those without disability (41% compared with 34%)
• people born overseas than those born in Australia (42% compared with 33%)
• living in New South Wales (46%) than those in Victoria (37%) or the rest of Australia (27%).

The survey then asked whether people had attended one or more social gatherings since 1 December 2020, and any precautions they had taken due to COVID-19.

Since 1 December 2020, Australians were most likely to have attended social gatherings at:

• a friend or family member’s residence (72%)
• a restaurant (56%)
• their own residence (52%).

Women (77%) were more likely than men (66%) to have attended a social gathering at a friend or family member’s residence.

Men (20%) were more likely than women (10%) to have attended a social gathering at a nightclub or bar.

The majority (92%) of Australians who attended a social gathering since 1 December 2020 had taken one or more precautions due to COVID-19. The most common precautions taken when attending a social gathering were:

• washing hands or using hand sanitiser regularly (81%)
• keeping physical distance from people at all times (58%)
• avoiding interactions such as shaking hands or hugging (57%)
• limiting the number of attendees (43%)
• avoiding shared or communal food (39%).

People aged 65 years and over (62%) were more likely to avoid interactions like shakings hands and hugging than those aged 18 to 64 years (56%).

People born overseas (38%) were more likely than people born in Australia (31%) to wear a facemask to a social gathering due to COVID-19.

• Following an easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Victoria had the highest proportion of people expecting to increase their spending on all of the selected goods and services in the next four weeks, compared with people living in other states and territories.

The survey asked questions on expected future spending habits on a range of goods and services, for the four weeks following the survey. This included spending on:

• take-away or delivered meals
• eating out at cafés, restaurants, pubs or bars
• having a drink without a meal in pubs, hotels or bars
• clothing and footwear
• personal care (e.g. hairdressers, barbers, beauty services and products)
• household furnishings and equipment (e.g. sofas, desks, electrical goods)
• motor vehicle costs (e.g. fuel, repairs)
• public transport
• taxi and ride-sharing services
• recreation or leisure activities (e.g. going to cinemas, playing sports, gym).

For all goods and services listed, the most common expectation was for spending to remain the same in the four weeks following the survey.

At the time of the survey, Victoria had eased or lifted most of the restrictions which had been in place since their second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic from June. Other states and territories had already eased most restrictions with the exception of targeted lockdowns put in place to manage the spread of cases from local transmission.

Victoria had the highest proportion of people expecting to increase their spending on all of the selected goods and services in the next four weeks when compared with other states and territories.

In the next four weeks, people in Victoria were most likely to expect to increase spending on:

• recreation or leisure activities (e.g. going to cinemas, playing sports, gym) (31%)
• motor vehicle costs (e.g. fuel, repairs) (25%)
• eating out at cafés, restaurants, pubs or bars (23%).

• In January 2021, paying household bills was reported to be the most common use of the Coronavirus Supplement (80%*) and the JobKeeper Payment (73%*).

From 1 January 2021, the Commonwealth Government introduced changes to the Coronavirus Supplement. Eligible income support recipients now receive a fortnightly Coronavirus Supplement of $150 along with their usual payments, a decrease from the $250 payment received from 25 September to 31 December 2020. Further details on eligible recipients is provided in the survey Methodology.

In January 2021, approximately one in 13 (8%) Australians reported they were currently receiving the Coronavirus Supplement.

Of Australians receiving the Coronavirus Supplement:

• 37%* reported mainly using the payment on household bills
• 27% reported mainly using the payment on purchasing household supplies, including groceries.

The survey also asked Coronavirus Supplement recipients to select all of the uses of the payment. Paying household bills (80%*) was the most commonly reported use of the Coronavirus Supplement, followed by purchasing household supplies, including groceries (60%*).

Of Australians receiving the Coronavirus Supplement:

• 32% reported their household finances had worsened in the last four weeks, while only 3%* reported they had improved and 65% reported their household finances had remained the same
• 77%* reported they expect to be able to pay bills received in the next three months.

The JobKeeper Payment was introduced by the Commonwealth Government as a subsidy to help keep businesses trading and people employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. From 4 January 2021, changes to the JobKeeper Payment came into effect with affected employers and sole traders now able to claim either $1,000 or $650 per fortnight per eligible employee based on eligibility requirements. Further details on eligible recipients is provided in the survey Methodology.

In January 2021, approximately one in 25 (4%) Australians reported currently receiving the JobKeeper Payment from their employer.

In January, of the Australians receiving the JobKeeper Payment:

• 60% reported receiving the $1,000 higher rate payment
• 32% reported receiving the $650 lower rate payment
• 8% did not know what rate they were receiving.

For those receiving the JobKeeper Payment:

• 77%* reported receiving less income than their usual pay
• 18% were receiving about the same income
• 5%* reported they were receiving more income.

Of the Australians receiving the JobKeeper Payment whose usual pay is more than what they are receiving from the JobKeeper Payment, just under four in ten (39%*) were being paid the difference between the JobKeeper Payment and their usual pay by their employer.

Of Australians receiving the JobKeeper Payment:

• 31%* reported mainly using the payment on mortgage or rent payments
• 24% reported mainly using the payment on household bills.

The survey also asked JobKeeper Payment recipients to select all of the uses of the payment. Paying household bills (73%*) was the most commonly reported use of the JobKeeper Payment, followed by purchasing household supplies, including groceries (63%*) and mortgage or rent payments (51%*).

Of Australians receiving the JobKeeper Payment:

• 19%* reported their household finances had worsened in the last four weeks, while 14% reported they had improved and 67%* reported their household finances had remained the same

• 95% reported they expect to be able to pay bills received in the next three months.

• In January, one in seven (14%) Australians reported their household finances had worsened, and one in 13 (8%) reported their household finances had improved, in the last four weeks.
• Four in five (80%) people reported their household could raise $2,000 for something important within a week.
• One in 13 (8%) Australians reported their household was unable to pay one or more selected bills on time over the last three months due to a shortage of money.

The survey asked people if their household finances in the last four weeks had improved, remained the same or worsened due to COVID-19.

For Australians 18 years and over, in the last four weeks:

• 78% reported their household finances remained the same (72% reported the same in September 2020)
• 14% reported their household finances had worsened (16% reported the same in September 2020)
• 8% reported their household finances had improved (12% reported the same in September 2020).

When broken down by age, in the last four weeks household finances had worsened for:

• 17% of Australians aged 18 to 34 years
• 14% of Australians aged 35 to 64 years
• 11% of Australians aged 65 years and over.

Of the Australians that reported household finances had worsened in the last 4 weeks:

• 21% reported it was entirely because of COVID-19
• 34% reported it was partly because of COVID-19
• 44% reported that it was not caused by COVID-19.

People were also asked if their change in household finances was due to a change in income. Three in five (61%) people reported their household finances had worsened due to a change in income. Similarly, 60% reported their household finances had improved due to a change in income.

One in six (16%) Australians reported their household took one or more financial actions to support basic living expenses in January 2021.

Of the Australians that took a financial action to support basic living expenses:

• 9% drew on accumulated savings or term deposits
• 4% sold household goods or jewellery
• 3% increased the balance owing on their credit card by $1,000 or more.

In January 2021:

• four in five (80%) Australians reported their household could raise $2,000 for something important within a week (similar to 78% in August 2020)
• one in ten (10%) reported their household could raise $500 but not $2,000 (similar to 13% in August 2020)
• one in 16 (6%) reported their household would be unable to raise $500 within a week (the same as 6% in August 2020).

People with disability (9%) were more likely to report being unable to raise $500 for something important in a week than people with no disability (5%).

One in 13 (8%) Australians reported their household was unable to pay one or more selected bills on time over the last three months due to a shortage of money.

The majority of Australians (92%) reported their household expects to be able to pay bills received in the next three months, compared with 87% in August 2020.

One in a 100 (1%) Australians did not expect to be able to pay bills received in the next three months and 7% reported they did not know if they would be able to make these payments.

• One in four (25%) Australians intend to do training, courses or self-learning activities in the next six months.

In January 2021, the survey asked people if they intended to do any new or additional training, courses or self-learning activities in the next six months.

One in four (25%) Australians aged 18 years and over intended to train or study in the next six months.

Around one in six (17%) people were unsure whether they were going to study in that time (including 19% of women and 14% of men).

People intending to study in the next six months were more likely to be:

• aged 18 to 64 years (30%) compared with those aged 65 years and over (4%)
• people with a job (29%) compared with those without a job (17% - including people permanently out of work or retired)
• people born overseas who arrived in Australia within ten years (34%*), compared with those who had arrived in Australia more than ten years ago (25%) or who were born in Australia (24%)
• people with no disability (27%) compared with people with disability (20%).

Of those who planned to study, around 8% intended to use JobTrainer Fund training places as part of their new or additional study, while 18% did not know whether they were going to use the available training places.

• The proportion of Australians aged 18 years and over who had a job working paid hours was the same in December 2020 (63%) and January 2021 (63%).

The survey collected changes to the job status of Australians when interviewed in late January. Responses are weighted and comparisons are included to show how the employment status of people has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Respondents were asked simple questions about changes to their job situation, rather than the full suite of employment-related questions included in the ABS’ Labour Force Survey (see the Labour Force Survey questionnaire, available from the Collection method chapter in the Labour force, Australia methodology publication). The results of this survey are, therefore, not directly comparable to Australia’s official Labour Force measures. The Margin of Error (MoE) on these estimates is greater than for Labour Force statistics (the Labour Force Survey sample is around 16 times larger). More information about measuring the labour market impacts of COVID-19 can be found here.

Australians aged 18 years and over who had a job working paid hours was the same in January (63%) and December (63%). The proportion of people who had a job and were not working paid hours remained stable at 4% between December 2020 and January 2021.

The results of the most recent Labour Force Survey, with data in respect of the two weeks from 3 to 16 January, collected over the three weeks from 10 to 30 January, can be found using the following link: Labour Force, Australia, January 2021. The February 2021 results will be released 18 March 2021.

The ABS will follow up with the same people in February to undertake the seventh cycle of the monthly Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey. The topics include:

• attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines
• symptom testing behaviours
• participation in selected activities
• training and skill development
• household finances
• stimulus payments
• job status and work from home arrangements.

Information from the February survey will be released in mid-March 2021.

The ABS would like to thank all participants for their involvement in the survey. The information collected is of value to inform government and community responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This release previously used catalogue number 4940.0