Taking the Pulse of the Nation: The Effect of COVID-19 on the Economics and Health of Australians

Professor Guay Lim
Professor Yuting Zhang
Professor Ragan Petrie

This colloquium will focus on the insights from current information on how the global pandemic is affecting Australians. The insights are based on data collected under the Melbourne Institute survey “Taking the Pulse of the Nation.”  This survey is on-going (since the beginning of the pandemic) and captures information on the economic and social wellbeing of Australians. This colloquium will showcase three key questions:

*Are people satisfied with government policies to lockdown the economy but with provisions to support jobs and keep people at work?  Are Australians financially stressed?

*Is there acceptance of mandatory requirements?   Has there been changes in social behaviour?

*Are Australians taking care of their health or avoiding using health care during the pandemic? What is the use of Telehealth?

This regularly held colloquium will showcase our projects and researchers. This is a forum that encourages discussion on how research insights should inform policy and practice. More information on the series is available here.