COVID-19 has changed Australians’ perspectives on fellow members of their community, and none more so than in their opinions of health care workers and care staff.
A recent Essential poll has shown that 56% of Australians have developed a “more positive view” of health care workers as a result of the pandemic. In contrast, only 4% have developed a “more negative view” of the same cohort.
This means that over half of all Australians have developed a better perspective on health care workers – like nurses and midwives – through COVID-19.
This is on top of the already high trust levels that Australians have towards nurses and midwives, who have consistently topped lists of most trusted professions.
The pandemic has also resulted in many Australians feeling greater sympathy for the more disadvantaged, with the research showing Australians are developing a more positive view of individuals who are unemployed or homeless, as well as those living with mental illness.
On the whole, around one in five people now see these disadvantaged groups more positively. This may be due to increases in unemployment and mental illness as a result of the pandemic and related economic effects.