COVID-19 pandemic perceived impacts on the Australian general population, a national survey exploring the role of socio-demographic and psychological factors.

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health orders did not impact all population groups equally. We examined perceived pandemic impacts on daily life by socio-demographic and psychological factors. Participants, quota sampled by region, age and sex, completed a cross-sectional online survey between Oct 21st and Nov 10th 2020. COVID-19 impact categories (negative/same/positive) were compared by age and sex with chi-square tests. Associations between COVID-19 impacts and socio-demographic and psychological characteristics were examined with hierarchical regressions. COVID-19 impacts differed by sex for 7/19 aspects: females reported negative impacts on mental health, loneliness, and sleep quality more frequently than males, whereas more males reported negative impacts on substance use, alcohol consumption, and time availability. Males reported both more negative and positive impacts on job security than women. Young adults reported more negative impacts across all daily life aspects except social connections, where those ≥ 60 years reported worse impacts. Negative impacts were also associated with poor health status, reduced work hours, lower satisfaction with government communication, higher intolerance of uncertainty, and some coping strategies, while several other coping strategies correlated with positive impacts. Overall, COVID-19 impacts differed by age, sex, and several other variables. These findings could guide targeted public health messaging and interventions to mitigate the impact of future pandemics.