Australian confidence levels decrease in second year of pandemic
21 June 2021 - According to a NEW Red Cross survey*, around 2 in 5 people in Australia want more support to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and around half are not confident life will return to normal by this time next year.
Close to 90 per cent agree we need to do more as a community to assist those hardest hit.
“It’s clear people in Australia are increasingly realising this pandemic will run for a long time, and that we may need to develop extraordinary levels of resilience we haven’t previously ever needed.” said Australian Red Cross CEO Kym Pfitzner.
“The pandemic has led to anxiety and even collective trauma in places like Victoria.
“It’s clear many people in Australia do need more help, especially those affected by compounding disasters or who can’t access safety nets, like people on temporary visas with insecure work.
“Since the outbreak started, Australian Red Cross teams have experienced the biggest demand since WW2. Volunteers have been assisting bushfire and flood relief and recovery, made welfare calls to those in hotel quarantine and helped people on temporary visas put food on the table for their families.
“We can only do that work with the generous support of donors. As the end of financial year approaches, Red Cross is asking Australians to consider making a tax deductible donation to redcross.org.au,” he said.
A donation to Red Cross can:
$60 can help a young mother learn to drive, breaking down barriers to employment and education and community.
$100 can give a second chance to someone caught in a cycle of homelessness or crime, with a Red Cross mentor to help them start fresh.
$200 can get trained emergency volunteers on the ground, supporting communities through disaster.
*Note to editor: Australian Red Cross conducted a survey with a representative sample of over 800 people from across Australia above 18 years in May 2021.
For media queries or interview requests, contact: media@redcross.org.au or 1800 733 443.