Fewer Australians stressed, lonely as COVID-19 restrictions ease: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Fewer Australians are feeling stressed or lonely as COVID-19 restrictions begin easing, new figures show.

The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed an almost 50 per cent drop in people experiencing anxiety last month compared to April.

Head of Household Surveys Michelle Marquardt said the data showed how Australian’s mental health had recovered once restrictions were rolled back.

“This survey showed 24 per cent of respondents reported experiencing one or more sources of personal stress in June compared to 43 per cent in April,” she said.

“Around one in eleven people (9 per cent) reported suffering loneliness in June compared to one in five (22 per cent) in April.”

The proportions of people reporting feeling restless, nervous or overwhelmed in June 2020 fell to rates similar to the 2017-18 National Health Survey.

“Now that some parts of the country are either having to reinstate some restrictions or put a pause on easing them it will be important to understand what impact this is likely to have on people’s mental health,” said Ms Marquardt.

The survey also asked people about their use of Telehealth services, with one in five people people having used the service in the four weeks leading up to the survey.

Almost half of Australians said they would continue using Telehealth after COVID-19 restrictions ease.

“The majority of Australians (92 per cent) have continued to keep their distance from people although fewer were avoiding social gatherings, down from 79 per cent in late May to 66 per cent in late June,” Ms Marquardt.