In the two months since the first COVID-19 case was diagnosed in Western Australia, there have been a lot of changes to daily life in WA. Research Solutions and Thinkfield have teamed up to find out what ordinary people are thinking and feeling: every few weeks, we’re reaching out to Thinkfield’s State-wide panel to find out what is on people’s minds.
In the first wave of research conducted in April, most people told us they’re feeling at least ok about life and a quarter said they felt pretty good about it. While that’s good news for most, that still leaves almost a third of us who are feeling either ‘so so’ or not great at all.
We’re connecting socially, but not physically: people are connecting in lots of different ways, with telephone calls and messaging most common but also by way of video calls and virtual group activities. Importantly, lots of us are reaching out to support local businesses, buying from those small businesses that are still open or buying takeaway from local restaurants. We have been reaching out to support people in other ways, too – driving past to wave at friends and relatives, chatting with neighbours over the fence and 9% of us have sent a letter or a card. What’s more, COVID-19 may be encouraging us to re¬-connect: fully 43% of us have been in touch with someone we haven’t heard from in a while.
We also asked how people felt the Federal Government is performing and a huge 85% rated them 7 or better out of 10. The main messages were “Keep it up”, “Keep the lock downs going!”, “Extend support to others”, “Clearer, more consistent messaging” and “Be faster, more decisive”.
We’ll keep you up to date about what other Western Australians are thinking and feeling over the coming weeks.
Now more than ever, it’s important to stay connected to your community, to know what’s on people’s minds and how they feel about your organisation. Whether it’s an in-depth study or just one or two questions, staying connected is easier than you’d think.
If you’d like to know more about our What’s On Your Mind survey, or about how we can help you stay in touch, then connect with us at nicky@researchsolutions.com.au or ring us on (08) 92257772. Research Solutions is back at work.
