Essential Research: coronavirus restrictions and conspiracy theories

A poll suggests a significant proportion of the population believes coronavirus was engineered in a Chinese laboratory, but other conspiracy theories remain consigned to the fringe.

Courtesy of The Guardian, some headline results of another weekly Essential Research poll on coronavirus, the full report of which should be published later today. This includes regular questions on federal and state governments’ handling with the crisis, of which we are only told that respondents remain highly positive, and on easing restrictions, for which we are told only 25% now consider it too soon, which is down two on last time and has been consistently declining over five surveys.

Beyond that, the survey gauged response to a number of what might be described as conspiracy theories concerning the virus. By far the most popular was the notion that the virus “was engineered and released from a Chinese laboratory in Wuhan”, which has received a certain amount of encouragement from the Daily Telegraph but is starkly at odds with the scientific consensus. Agreement and disagreement with this proposition was tied on 39%.

Thirteen per cent subscribed to a theory that Bill Gates was involved in the creation and spread of the virus, with 71% disagreeing; 13% agreed the virus was not dangerous and was being used to force people to get vaccines, with 79% disagreeing; 12% thought the 5G network was being used to spread the virus, with 75% disagreeing; and 20% agreed the number of deaths was being exaggerated, with “more than 70%” disagreeing. The poll also found 77% agreed that the outbreak in China was worse than the official statistics showed.

The poll was conducted Thursday to Sunday from a sample of 1073.

UPDATE: Full report here.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

3,318 comments on “Essential Research: coronavirus restrictions and conspiracy theories”

Comments Page 62 of 67
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  2. phoenixRED

    You have to have some sympathy for police; in the USA motorists have hand guns in some states it is legal. It is one of the problems of being an Australia in the USA, you don’t know the rules, if your lucky you just get yelled at when your aim is to retrieve your license,not you hand gun.

  5. ‘Greensborough Growler says:
    Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    Dan Andrews always seems to be in front of the game.

    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victorian-farmers-escape-almost-unscathed-from-chinese-tariff-hit-20200522-p54vg6.html‘

    Uh huh. How do you think the four meatworks were chosen for the punishment?

    I was having a discussion with a businessman who has extensive business relationships with chinese businessmen.

    He was laughing. Andrews signs a non binding, non obligation bit of paper jointing the Belt and Road initiative…
    …and the Chinese target the wedge with pinpoint accuracy.

    He reckons nothing is an accident. Andrews is getting Xi’s de facto pat on the head. The others are getting punished because Morrison dared to advocate an inquiry into the origins of the Virus, thereby threatening Dictator Xi’s legitimacy.

  6. If 3 million people are no longer counted as employed, where did they go?

    That claim that 72% of australia’s workers depended on federal, state and local governments has been blown out of the water as well.

  7. The 3 cases in NSW today were all from overseas
    Victoria and I quote..

    “Of the 10 new cases four are in hotel quarantine as returned travellers, three have been detected as community testing and three cases are still under investigation.”

    So, the testing blitz is still picking up the odd sniffler with covid. Why isn’t the community testing in NSW doing this? Is Sydney actually cleaner? Honest question.

  9. frednk

    “It is one of the problems of being an Australia in the USA, you don’t know the rules, if your lucky you just get yelled at when your aim is to retrieve your license,not you hand gun.“
    ————

    Well you should not visit unless you accept the risks. I have no interest at all in ever visiting the dangerous place. Consider that Australian woman recently shot by police after calling tripple O!

    I live next door to a ghastly American woman from a place called Noo Yuck, as far as i can tell. Talk about an entitled whinger!! That’s too close as far as I’m concerned. 🙂

  11. frednksays: Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 3:16 pm

    phoenixRED

    You have to have some sympathy for police; in the USA motorists have hand guns in some states it is legal. It is one of the problems of being an Australia in the USA, you don’t know the rules, if your lucky you just get yelled at when your aim is to retrieve your license,not you hand gun.

    **************************************

    Ok totally agree frednk – I would hate to be a cop in the US and pulling over a car – more so in the dark ……. and approaching who or whatever physco gun nut is perhaps in the car …..

    However that policemans – ‘ dont be nervous, we only kill black people ‘ is a terrible racist remark

  12. Greensborough Growler @ #3057 Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 – 3:24 pm

    Player One @ #3052 Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 – 3:18 pm

    Greensborough Growler @ #3029 Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 – 2:38 pm

    P1 went to the local supermarket today.

    Your obsession with me may be entirely understandable, but that does not make it any less creepy.

    I have no obsession. Just engrossed by a tumbleweed of angst bouncing across the horizon.

    The wrath and fury you exude for no result is laughable.

    I think everyone here can see the truth for themselves.

    It is creepy.

  13. Your obsession with me may be entirely understandable, but that does not make it any less creepy.

    Ever since I rightly pinged bemused for his obsessive stalking, various numbnuts on this blog have tried it on against generally reasonable commenters that have got the numbnut bang to rights.

    Note to P1: It’s not going to be an accusation that holds water unless there is some substance to it. Especially when we are talking about one of THE most obsessive posters on this blog. You.

  14. boerwar @ #3053 Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 – 3:19 pm

    ‘Greensborough Growler says:
    Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    Dan Andrews always seems to be in front of the game.

    https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/victorian-farmers-escape-almost-unscathed-from-chinese-tariff-hit-20200522-p54vg6.html‘

    Uh huh. How do you think the four meatworks were chosen for the punishment?

    I was having a discussion with a businessman who has extensive business relationships with chinese businessmen.

    He was laughing. Andrews signs a non binding, non obligation bit of paper jointing the Belt and Road initiative…
    …and the Chinese target the wedge with pinpoint accuracy.

    He reckons nothing is an accident. Andrews is getting Xi’s de facto pat on the head. The others are getting punished because Morrison dared to advocate an inquiry into the origins of the Virus, thereby threatening Dictator Xi’s legitimacy.

    😆

  16. Of course the order on churches opening up was to shore up his evangelical vote which shows signs of waning.

    The number of white evangelicals that give Trump positive marks has dropped six points since Pew polled the same question in March. The drop mirrors declining Republican confidence in Trump — 77% of Republicans polled said Trump was doing a good job, down from 83% in March.

    Trump’s push to open churches is in response to this drop in his most loyal constituency. There is almost no path to re-election for the President without the same level of support among white evangelicals that he received in 2016. One big problem with this strategy however: Pews numbers also show that half of white evangelicals’ bigger concerns are that stay at home restrictions will be lifted too early (51%). And nearly 6 in 10 say that the restrictions in their area should either remain as they are now or be increased.

    Its very unlikely that Trump can be re-elected with the loss on the margins of any one of these key constituencies — college educated voters, seniors over 65 and white evangelicals. At the moment hes dropping among all three.

    https://medium.com/@madrid_mike/is-trumps-white-evangelical-christian-wall-finally-collapsing-d6d7ed64feac

    Praise be.

  19. C@tmomma @ #3062 Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 – 3:34 pm

    Your obsession with me may be entirely understandable, but that does not make it any less creepy.

    Ever since I rightly pinged bemused for his obsessive stalking various numbnuts on this blog have tried it on against generally reasonable commenters that have got the numbnut bang to rights.

    Note to P1: It’s not going to be an accusation that holds water unless there is some substance to it. Especially when we are talking about one of THE most obsessive posters on this blog. You.

    You also appear to be a little obsessed, C@t. In your case, it is both creepy and slightly amusing, because you always make such a big deal out of pretending not to even read my posts.

    Still, it is nice to know I make such an impression here. It makes it all seem worthwhile 🙂

  21. ————
    I certainly won’t be taking any domestic holidays (have seen most of Australia) just to satisfy the government.
    ————
    Seriously?
    People aren’t doing it to satisfy the gov. They’s doing it to satisfy themselves.

    I have travelled a lot – for work and play. There are thousands of pieces of Australia I haven’t seen (or just glimpsed) and hundreds I would love to return to.

  22. porotisays: Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 3:35 pm

    phoenixRED

    Racist ? It’s probably pretty close to the truth.

    ***************************************************

    Sadly Poroti – you are probably right – just sad if you are a totally innocent African American person who has never done anything criminal …….

    I guess its hard – even in Australia – if you are a non-white anglican …….. then there is always going to be a certain element that treats you with abuse or contempt for no other reason than your culture

  24. Interesting insight from Paddy Manning:

    As Australia’s relationship with China deteriorates – today it’s restrictions on coal imports, and who knows what’ll be next – there is a lot of finger-pointing going on about who is to blame. Both major political parties, as well as most analysts and commentators, have supported Australia’s push for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19, which got up in a modified form at the World Health Assembly this week. So, blame has to be found elsewhere. The Australian is predictably picking on [$] Labor, poking at leader Anthony Albanese for failing to discipline frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon, who told Sky News that the government was “demonising the Chinese”. This came after Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack this morning attacked Labor for politicising the China relationship, saying it was a “Team Australia” moment. For good measure, the paper’s foreign editor Greg Sheridan lays into Daniel Andrews, accusing him of betraying Australia’s national interests by signing Victoria up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative – and the editorial calls the premier “Comrade Dan”. All this is a distraction. The fact is, it is the Morrison government that has responsibility for the China relationship, and it is not doing very well. Perhaps it is time for the federal Coalition to re-evaluate a decision, made all on its own, that goes to the heart of Australia’s trouble with China: the ban on tech giant Huawei’s participation in the 5G network build.

    Like many decisions made by former prime minister and communications minister Malcolm Turnbull – switching to a mixed-technology NBN, building French submarines in Adelaide, Snowy 2.0 – the Huawei ban sounded clever at the time, but has subsequently proved highly problematic. Simply put, Huawei is a dominant supplier of 5G antennas, and Australia has struggled to find alternatives. European giants Nokia and Ericsson, who now have a duopoly here, had to concede to a recent parliamentary inquiry into 5G (after taking questions on notice) that they source 5G equipment from Chinese joint venture partners. Nokia Shanghai Bell is a joint venture with state-owned China Huaxin Post & Telecommunication, and works on 5G, while Ericsson Panda includes as shareholders the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Committee. Huawei, by contrast, is privately owned. So what benefit, exactly, does Australia get from this ban?

    https://www.themonthly.com.au/today/paddy-manning/2020/22/2020/1590126450/long-farce

  25. I wonder if the day will come that sees the Victorian Nats follow the lead of the WA Nats and become independent.

  28. Kirky @ #3022 Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 – 2:18 pm

    International tourism into Australia is worth $44.6b then add Education and the $$$ keep mounting.

    I certainly won’t be taking any domestic holidays (have seen most of Australia) just to satisfy the government. Get me to NZ asap then the world.

    Sounds big until you remember the size of the economy is about 1.9 TRILLION.

  29. porotisays: Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 3:50 pm

    phoenixRED

    Breathing While Black in the vicinity of police seems a risky occupation in the US of A .

    ********************************************************

    Meanwhile this one in Sydney ……. mmmmm ….will be interested if accident or deliberate ….

    Driver that crashed into Sydney Muslim fashion shop re-arrested

    A 51-year-old man has been re-arrested by police after his car crashed into a Sydney hijab shop, injuring 14 people.

    https://www.sbs.com.au/news/driver-that-crashed-into-sydney-muslim-fashion-shop-re-arrested

    AND – Fresh twist in Muslim fashion store crash as it is revealed driver had done something VERY similar just months ago as his lawyer tries to claim he was ‘unconscious’ at the time of the accident

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8349855/Greenacre-driver-allegedly-crash-Hijab-House-involved-similar-incident-earlier-year.html

  30. ajm @ #3076 Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 – 1:52 pm

    Kirky @ #3022 Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 – 2:18 pm

    International tourism into Australia is worth $44.6b then add Education and the $$$ keep mounting.

    I certainly won’t be taking any domestic holidays (have seen most of Australia) just to satisfy the government. Get me to NZ asap then the world.

    Sounds big until you remember the size of the economy is about 1.9 TRILLION.

    And only 2/3 of the Government’s JobKeeper fuck up.

  31. PR

    Politics has changed. We did not have Dutton out in the first 5 minutes claiming that Sydney event was a terror attack.

  32. Well you can all go along with the current situation but there is a cost to the future and the economy of those under the age of 60 (I’m about to turn 59) and that point seems to be getting lost.

    In two weeks time, assuming SA has no breakout I’m expecting step 3 (not step 2) to be enacted. It is time to get on with our lives.

  34. Kirky @ #3080 Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 – 2:10 pm

    Well you can all go along with the current situation but there is a cost to the future and the economy of those under the age of 60 (I’m about to turn 59) and that point seems to be getting lost.

    In two weeks time, assuming SA has no breakout I’m expecting step 3 (not step 2) to be enacted. It is time to get on with our lives.

    I’m tired!!! I’ve had enough!!

    How’d you like to go through it again?

  35. I hope that the restrictions on travel will mean that people start looking at holidaying in their own country instead of hoping on a plane to Bali and coming back with a suitcase of rubbish. It would be great for them to see and learn about our country, the damage that has been done to both the landscape and our first people and to inject some money into the local businesses.
    I have seen lots of talk of the money tourism brings in but how many tourist dollars do Australians spend overseas.

  36. There are very few British people left in the world.

    Based on the 2011 Census on national identity, the only parts of the UK that consider themselves “British” are the unionist parts of Northern Island and parts of London, (the purple bits below)! The rest of the population consider themselves English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish.

  37. Kirky @ #3080 Saturday, May 23rd, 2020 – 4:10 pm

    Well you can all go along with the current situation but there is a cost to the future and the economy of those under the age of 60 (I’m about to turn 59) and that point seems to be getting lost.

    In two weeks time, assuming SA has no breakout I’m expecting step 3 (not step 2) to be enacted. It is time to get on with our lives.

    With the recent outbreaks in Victoria re Cedar meats and Macca’s no-one should accuse Chairman Dan of being too protective in this state.

    As long as there’s no threat of a run on our hospitals, then I’m happy to release the shackles.

  39. Kirky

    Are you Adam Chreighton?

    If not you are doing a good impression of the kill your nonna for the economy ghoul.

  40. You have got to give McGowan his due. For a Novacastrian he has picked up the xenophobia of Sandgropia and even outdone Charlie Court at his best.

  43. Re Phoenix Red @4:00
    The first thing I thought of when I heard about the traffic incident in Greenacre (4WD ploughs into a shop called “Hijab House”) was a hate crime directed against Muslims. There has been no mention of the ethnicity of the driver, although that is often something reported in relation to crimes.

    No one has described this as a ‘terrorist incident’.

    Of course I don’t know more than what I see in the News.

  47. Is this a facetious comment or don’t you understand that business needs money to continue operating. In small towns and rural regions lack of customers are killing small towns. I personally would like to see some attention given to the problems of Australians who don’t live in Capital cities and regional hubs.

  48. “Well you can all go along with the current situation but there is a cost to the future and the economy”

    Kirky, one thing you don’t get is that there is a big cost in not eliminating the virus. Merely suppressing the virus means a hobbled economy.

  50. Steve777says: Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 4:21 pm

    Re Phoenix Red @4:00

    The first thing I thought of when I heard about the traffic incident in Greenacre (4WD ploughs into a shop called “Hijab House”) was a hate crime directed against Muslims. There has been no mention of the ethnicity of the driver, although that is often something reported in relation to crimes.

    *********************************************

    Hi Steve – there was a later article that I added that explains things a bit better :

    Fresh twist in Muslim fashion store crash as it is revealed driver had done something VERY similar just months ago as his lawyer tries to claim he was ‘unconscious’ at the time of the accident

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8349855/Greenacre-driver-allegedly-crash-Hijab-House-involved-similar-incident-earlier-year.html

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