The top three activities Australians are looking forward to the most are having larger gatherings, sitting down for a meal at a restaurant, and travelling domestically, according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics released on June 15.
The survey showed that 62 percent of respondents were craving a return to having big gatherings of family and friends, and 61 percent wanted to dine in at restaurants or cafes again.
Australian states are slowly overcoming constraints put in place to quell the spread of the CCP virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus.
From July 1, New South Wales will scrap a 50-person limit at indoor venues, and from next week Victoria will allow patrons to be able to drink in pubs and clubs without having to order a meal.
More than half of the respondents (58 percent) also said that they would like to travel within Australia.
This comes as states open domestic borders and as Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham urged Australians to take a holiday in their own backyard to get the domestic tourism industry back on its feet.
“For those Australians who can afford to do so, we want them to feel an almost patriotic duty to get out and support the jobs and small businesses of their fellow citizens by having whatever Aussie holiday they can,” he told the National Press Club on Wednesday.
“That could mean instead of the beaches of Bali, it could be the beaches of Byron Bay.”
Other activities Australians would most like to return include:
- Using public recreational areas (52 percent)
- Going to the cinema (38 percent)
- Going to licenced venues including bars, pubs or nightclubs (34 percent)
- Going to a gym, boot camp or swimming pool (34 percent)
- Attending sporting events (31 percent)
- Travelling internationally (31 percent)
However, the sight of a large gathering is still making Australians nervous—76 percent reported they were uncomfortable with returning to attending large public events and 66 percent to indoor gatherings of more than 100 people.
The top two developments that would ease their concerns in returning to these activities are the development of a vaccine (64 percent) and lower daily infection rates (61 percent).
This longitudinal survey was collected from approximately 1,000 Australians via telephone between May 26 to 29 to bring to light the adverse impacts of COVID-19 on the financial and emotional wellbeing of Australians.
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