What positives can be taken from the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia?

ABSTRACT

ObjectiveTo investigate whether Australians have experienced any positive effects during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the disruption to society and daily life. MethodsNational online longitudinal survey. As part of a June 2020 survey, participants (n=1370) were asked In your life, have you experienced any positive effects from the COVID-19 pandemic (yes/no), with a free-text explanation if yes, and also completed the WHO-Five well-being index. Differences were explored by demographic variables. Free-text responses were thematically coded. Results960 participants (70%) reported experiencing at least one positive effect during the COVID-19 pandemic. Living with others (p=.045) and employment situation (p<.001) at baseline (April), were associated with experiencing positive effects. Individuals working for pay from home were more likely to experience positive effects compared to those who were not working for pay (aOR=0.45, 95%CI 0.32, 0.63, p<.001), or who were working for pay outside the home (aOR=0.40, 95%CI 0.28, 0.58, p<.001). Age and education were not associated with positive effects when controlling for employment and household numbers. There was an overall effect of gender (p=.001), where those identifying as female were more likely than males (aOR=1.62, 95%CI 1.25, 2.09) to report experiencing a positive effect. 54.2% of participants reported a sufficient level of wellbeing, 23.2% low wellbeing and a further 22.6% very low wellbeing. Of those experiencing positives, 945/960 (98%) provided an explanation. The three most common themes were Family time (33%), Work flexibility (29%), and Calmer life (19%). ConclusionA large proportion of surveyed Australians reported positive effects resulting from changes to daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. Enhancing these aspects may build community resilience to cope with future pandemic responses. The needs of people living alone, and of those having to work outside the home or who are unemployed, should be considered by health policy makers and employers in future pandemic preparedness efforts, as these groups were least likely to report positive experiences and may be more vulnerable.